Rise of the Seraphs
by ID Zeta
Summary: Most consider the myths of the Seraphs to be, well, myths. However, an strange artifact discovered by the Vault Hunters may prove these stories to be more fact than fiction. It may also awaken a threat that few believed to exist. The Seraphs are waiting... Rated T for mild language and violence.
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderlands franchise or anything related to it.  
Author's Note: Before I begin, I want to clarify a couple of things. First, there are no New-U Stations in this story. I believe they take away from the story. Second, some things may not be exactly like how they would be in the game. These changes are for the sake of the story. Feedback (comments, critiques, suggestions, etc) are all appreciated.

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

It has been many months since the defeat of the monstrous Warrior. Handsome Jack was dead and Hyperion was in disarray. Pandora, it seemed, was finally at peace – or, rather, as close to peace as the savage planet could get. The Vault Hunters had begun to explore their new home, and along the way had discovered a host of mysteries. One such mystery was that of the Seraphs.

The Vault Hunter's first encounter with the Seraphs was when they caught word of a "zombie Pyro Pete". They assumed he was dead; after all, they had to kill the pyromaniac during the Torgue Tournament. Apparently, they were wrong. A mysterious force had resurrected Pyro Pete and bestowed him with incredible power, much to the surprise of the Vault Hunters. After a grueling battle, Pyro Pete was once again defeated, but this time, his body dissolved into a pink liquid. This liquid quickly solidified into pink crystals, much like those found on crystalisks. They seemed to radiate power when the Vault Hunters touched them. Thus began the Vault Hunter's new quest for knowledge (and rare loot, of course).

Wherever the Vault Hunters went, it seemed that a Seraph Guardian, as they were supposedly called, was always in the area. After killing the Leviathan and raiding Captain Blade's lost treasure, the group learned about Hyperius, a Hyperion engineer, and Master Gee, a sand pirate. Both somehow came into contact with the same mysterious force that resurrected Pyro Pete and were granted extraordinary powers. Like Pyro Pete, their bodies yielded Seraph crystals upon their defeat. The same was true for Voracidous, a stalker who was mistaken for a god by some of the savages in Aegrus after it absorbed the mysterious force. Even the Ancient Dragons of Destruction turned out to be Seraph Guardians, though their bodies only dissolved once all four of the dragons were defeated.

The Vault Hunters were initially curious about these "Seraph Guardians" and their crystals. As time went on, however, their curiosity dwindled. All they knew was that the Guardians were incredibly powerful. Better yet, they rewarded the group with crystals once they were killed. Best of all, they revived themselves after a period of time. Powerful enemies who revive themselves and drop rare loot... What more could a Vault Hunter ask for?

They could ask for ways to use their crystals. Initially, the Vault Hunters had no idea what to do with the copious amounts of crystals they had collected. They couldn't sell them because no one could put a price tag on them. Though they seemed to radiate power, that power couldn't be used to operate any kind of machinery. That changed when the Vault Hunters encountered a strange man in Sir Hammerlock's lodge in Aegrus. This man, who hid behind a thick metal door much like the one Crazy Earl cowers behind, claimed he and his three brothers could exchange Seraph crystals for extremely rare and powerful loot. The Vault Hunters were intrigued.

Zer0 was the first to take the strange man up on his offer. The assassin traded some of his crystals for a sniper rifle the man called the Hawk Eye. He then proceeded to test his new weapon out on the local savages. His first shot was slightly off, striking his target in the shoulder and barely doing any damage. His next shot, however, tore through the savage's head and liquefied his body. Needless to say, Zer0 was pleased.

Two of the Vault Hunters soon followed suit. Axton bought the Seraphim, a fire Dahl assault rifle, from the Seraph vendor in Oasis. Gaige purchased the Florentine, a dual Slag-Shock Maliwan SMG, from the vendor in Flamerock Refuge. Krieg, Salvador, and Maya didn't have enough crystals to buy the weapons they wanted.

The Vault Hunters, in need of more Seraph crystals, once again set off to defeat the Seraph Guardians as many times as they needed to. Little did they know of the discovery they were about to make. Little did they know how that discovery would cause chaos to erupt once again on the (relatively) peaceful planet of Pandora.


	2. Chapter 1: The Discovery

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.  
Author's Note: A few things to clarify before I begin: First, no New-U stations. Second, this story will be told primarily through the third-person perspective of Gaige. I may not capture her personality well enough, but those of you who have played Borderlands 2 as her should know he personality enough to fill in the gaps.  
Now, enough unrelated rambling. Onto the story!

Chapter 1: The Discovery

"TIME TO DIE!" Hyperius bellowed these words as he grew to his full size and focused his energy into the ground. The Vault Hunters knew what was coming.

"Here it comes!" Axton shouted to his teammates, who had each braced themselves however they could. Hyperius unleashed two powerful blasts of pure energy, which knocked the Vault Hunters back several feet. No matter how many times they had fought the former Hyperion engineer, they could never get used to those energy blasts. They were too powerful to prepare for.

Axton threw out his Sabre turret and Gaige summoned Deathtrap, both with the intent of distracting Hyperius. Maya used her Phaselock powers on the Seraph Guardian to temporarily slag him. Salvador pulled out his two Vladof miniguns and charged, unloading countless bullets into Hyperious' legs and torso. Krieg simply threw his buzzaxe repeatedly at the huge Seraph Guardian, while Zer0 struggled to line up a proper shot from his position due to his target's movements.

A few minutes and innumerable bullets later, Hyperius collapsed on the dry ground with a heavy crash. The Vault Hunters both cheered cries of victory and let out sighs of relief. The battle, as usual, had been long and difficult, and had certainly not gone flawlessly. Nonetheless, the Vault Hunters were victorious once again, and they approached Hyperius' body to claim their prize.

As usual, the body of the now-dead Seraph Guardian slowly dissolved into a pink sludge, which solidified into Seraph crystals a few moments later. This time, however, the Vault Hunters found something new. A large, pink, diamond-like crystal was laying where Hyperius' left shoulder used to be. Gaige was the first to notice.

"What the..?" the Mechromancer thought aloud. She picked the pink diamond up and immediately felt a rush of energy surge through her arm. The diamond seemed like it was burning her fingertips. Frightened, she yelped and dropped the diamond. Her yelp caught the attention of Axton.

"What's the matter, Gaige?" the Commando asked with a chuckle. "Hyperius can't bite ya, he's dead." Gaige smirked at his snarky comment and playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Ha ha, very funny," Gaige replied sarcastically. "But in all seriousness-" She carefully picked the pink diamond up with her robotic arm. "-Get a load of _this_." She held it up to the sunlight and examined it. _Whatever this thing is, it's beautiful_, the Mechromancer thought.

Axton's looked at the pink diamond in curiosity. He'd never seen anything like it before. He was about to ask a question, but Maya spoke before he did.

"What is that?" the Siren asked as she approached with the remaining Vault Hunters in tow. They each looked at the pink diamond in wonder.

"SHINY PINK ROCK!" Krieg cried as he tried to swipe it from Gaige's hand. As soon as his fingers touched the diamond, he yelped and recoiled in surprise. "SHINY PINK ROCK BURNS!" he wailed as he shook his hand frantically in an effort to rid of the burning sensation. The rest of the Vault Hunters laughed at his humorous display.

"Seriously, though, what is it?" Maya asked again, returning to the topic at hand. The rest of the Vault Hunters turned their attention back to the pink diamond for the moment.

"No clue," Gaige shrugged. "I found it where Hyperius' shoulder was." She turned it around a few times in her robotic hand, admiring its beauty. "Maybe one of the creepy Seraph dudes knows what this thing is."

"Good point," Axton nodded. "They know more about Seraph stuff than we do."

"ARE YOU COMING OR NOT, _AMIGOS?!_" Salvador shouted. He, Zer0, and Krieg were by the entrance to Hyperius' arena. The Gunzerker was demonstrating his characteristic impatience once again. Maya sighed in irritation.

"Don't worry, Sal, we're commin'!" Axton called back. The Commando turned back to Gaige and Maya. "We should probably get out of here before it gets too dark out. We can ask the Seraph vendor in the morning, I guess."

"Sounds good to me," Maya said. "I need a good night's sleep after that fight. Geez..." The Siren rubbed the back of her neck as she and Axton turned to leave.

Gaige carefully put the pink diamond in her pocket, and when it didn't burn a hole through it, she let out a silent sigh of relief. She was visibly troubled, though. The Mechromancer didn't like not knowing things, especially when those things can hurt other people. In addition, she simply had a bad feeling about the pink diamond. The surge of energy, the burning sensation... Furthermore, it burned Krieg, someone who regularly lit himself on fire for the fun of it. This simply wasn't normal, and as far as she knew, bad things are bound to happen when things aren't normal. The Mechromancer shook her head. _Don't think about it too much_, she thought. _Maybe this thing is just, like, a super-powerful Seraph crystal or something. Maybe I'm getting worked up over nothing._ Gaige huffed a sigh. _I sure hope so_.


	3. Chapter 2: A Not-So-Pleasant Sleep

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.  
Author's Note: A few things to clarify before I begin: First, no New-U stations. Second, this story will be told primarily through the third-person perspective of Gaige. I may not capture her personality well enough, but those of you who have played Borderlands 2 as her should know he personality enough to fill in the gaps.  
Now, enough unrelated rambling. Onto the story!

Chapter 2: A Not-So-Pleasant Sleep

The Vault Hunters fought their way out of Washburne Refinery gradually. Gaige was distracted by the pink diamond in her pocket; whenever she felt the weight and shape of the object, her mind wandered back to what the object could be. Once the group made it out of the Refinery, the Mechromancer could do her wondering in relative safety.

The Vault Hunters were, quite simply, exhausted. Their battle with Hyperius had, as usual, drained them all. They needed a good rest, and Shade graciously (perhaps too graciously) provided a space for them. Despite being abandoned for quite some time, the buildings of Oasis were surprisingly well-kept. Whenever Shade wasn't trying to entertain himself with this fellow "townspeople", he cleaned the buildings. Shade allowed the Vault Hunters to stay in one of the several hotels of Oasis for the night.

Once Gaige was in her room, she kicked off her shoes and flopped on the bed. Her body wanted to sleep, but her mind kept wandering back to the pink diamond. _Why can't I stop thinking about that thing?_ she thought to herself. With a sigh of frustration, she pulled it out of her pocket with her robotic hand. The diamond fit perfectly the palm of her hand; it was about the size of a grapefruit. She tried to touch its surface with her real hand to see if it was still too dangerous to handle. She still felt a wave of energy flow up her arm, but it wasn't nearly the same torrent of power she felt earlier. The burning sensation had been reduced to a slightly-warmer-than-comfortable feeling. She withdrew her hand; the Mechromancer didn't want to fall victim to any unknown powers the diamond might have.

Gaige set the diamond down on the nightstand by her bed. _We'll figure out what this stupid thing is tomorrow_, she thought as she absent-mindedly gazed out the window. Her room overlooked the long wooden dock that ran along the former water's edge. The sun was beginning to set, and the final light of the day lit the clouds up in an array of colors. Had the ocean still been there, it would have been a beautiful view.

Gaige closed the curtains on the window and, with a sigh of exhaustion, covered herself up with the bed sheets. She hoped sleep would come quickly. Thankfully, it did, but her dream wasn't as peaceful as she would have liked.

The Mechromancer found herself in a black void, surrounded by empty space. She could hear a faint voice coming from somewhere, but the she couldn't see the source. The voice got louder and more clear, and a cloudy pink mist in a humanoid form came into view. It looked like a mirage.

"_Release me..._" the voice said over and over. The figure approached Gaige slowly, becoming more clear as it did so. The figure had four spikes on its shoulders, two on each.

"Release _what?_" Gaige demanded. The figure only moved closer. A pair of glowing red eyes flashed open on the figure.

"_Release me!_" the figure roared as it grabbed the Mechromancer's shoulders suddenly. Gaige struggled against the figure's grip in vain. It shoved her backwards, but the dream twisted so it seemed like she was pushed downwards. She felt a sudden wave of heat on her back. Gaige flipped around, only to immediately regret doing so. She saw herself plummeting towards the mouth of a volcano. The heat intensified as she continued to fall. She squeezed her eyes closed, not wanting to see what happened next.

Gaige screamed and sat up abruptly. Her breathing was rapid, and her sheets were damp with sweat. She looked around and saw no pink mirage and no volcano. Her panicked breathing slowed as she began to relax.

"It was just a dream," she told herself. "Just a dream. A freaky-as-hell dream, but still..." She laid her head back against her pillow. _Just a dream..._ She tried to fall back asleep, but found it nearly impossible to do so.

It was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 3: Answers Sort Of

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.  
Author's Note: A few things to clarify before I begin: First, no New-U stations. Second, this story will be told primarily through the third-person perspective of Gaige. I may not capture her personality well enough, but those of you who have played Borderlands 2 as her should know he personality enough to fill in the gaps.  
Now, enough unrelated rambling. Onto the story!

Chapter 3: Answers... Sort Of

Gaige was awakened by the sound of knocking. Axton's muffled voice called out, "Ready to go, Gaige?" The Mechromancer grunted and rolled onto her back. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Gimme a few minutes," she groaned. When she heard footsteps leading away from her door, she heaved a sigh. Damn, she was tired. She lazily changed into a different pair of clothes she had packed (unlike several of her fellow Vault Hunters) and slipped her shoes back on. She glanced over to the nightstand to see if the pink diamond was still there.

Gaige had a panic attack. The diamond wasn't on the nightstand.

"God _dammit_," she swore under her breath. She frantically searched for the diamond. It took several minutes, but eventually she found it under the empty dresser on the other side of the room. _I must have knocked it off the nightstand last night_, she concluded. _Stupid thing_. She stuffed it into her pocket again and joined the rest of the Vault Hunters in the hotel lobby.

The five of them were checking on their equipment. Axton was making minor repairs to his Sabre turret. Once he was satisfied, the Commando tapped the top of the turret, and it deconstructed back into the little metal box he carried arond on his belt. He attached it to his belt, and as he did so, he saw Gaige walking down the hallway, rubbing her eye sleepily.

"Look who finally showed up," Axton called out. Gaige simply grunted at his greeting as she passed. The plunked herself down in one of the chairs in the lobby and yawned. "Well, aren't you just bundle of joy this morning?" Axton teased.

"Stuff it, Ax," Gaige groaned. She wasn't in the mood for the Commando's usual attempts at humor at the moment. The rest of the Vault Hunters were just about finished checking on their equipment. The Mechromancer was too tired to check on hers, but she figured it wouldn't be necessary since all she had planned to do was visit the Seraph vendor. A nice, easy trip.

Axton sat beside the tired girl. "Didn't sleep too well, huh?" the Commando asked, though he already knew the answer to his own question. After ten years of service under Dahl, he knew when someone hadn't had enough sleep.

Gaige shook her head, confirming Axton's assumption. "I had a weird dream," she said. "It freaked me out and I couldn't fall asleep afterwards." She yawned again and stretched her arms out.

Axton patted the Mechromancer's shoulder. "Well, luckily for you, we're not doing a whole lot today," he said with a smile. "At least not yet. We'll figure out what we're doing after we visit the Seraph vendor. Speaking of which, you still have that diamond thing, right?"

"Uh-huh," Gaige replied, patting her pocket to indicate where it was. She rose to her feet and trudged towards the hotel door. "The sooner we figure out what this stupid thing is, the better, I say."

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

Despite the fact that the Seraph vendor was only a few minute's walk from the hotel, it rarely took the Vault Hunters that long to get there. Shade usually pestered the group into describing the previous day's adventures and the current day's plans. Today, however, he wasn't in his little shack; the Vault Hunters assumed he was getting supplies or something. All of them, Gaige in particular, were thankful he was absent.

The group approached the Seraph vendor's door and Axton knocked on it. The little window towards the top slid open to reveal the vendor's piercingly white eyes. "Ah, you've returned, Vault Hunters," the vendor greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"We have something we want you to take a look at," Axton answered as Gaige stepped forward. She pulled the pink diamond out of her pocket and held it up so the vendor could see. He stared at the diamond for a while in an awkward silence.

"Let me see it closer," the vendor said almost like a command instead of a request. A compartment on the door, a tray, slid out. Gaige placed the diamond in the tray and the vendor pulled it back. He slid his viewing window shut with a sharp _snap_.

_Well, _that _was odd,_ Gaige remarked. "I guess we just wait," she said over her shoulder to the rest of the Vault Hunters. After what seemed like ages, the window slid open again and the tray with the pink diamond was pushed back out.

"Where did you find this?" the Seraph vendor asked. His voice was tense and serious.

"We got it after killing Hyperius for the who-knows-how-many-eth time," Gaige answered. She picked the diamond back up and put it back into her pocket. "Any idea what it is?"

"I believe I do," the vendor said, "but I have one question for you. When you picked it up for the first time, did you feel anything unusual come from it?"

The question caught Gaige by surprise. How did he know? "Uh... Yeah, I did, actually," the Mechromancer replied uneasily.

"_What_ did you feel?" the vendor asked. His demanding tone made Gaige take a step back.

"I felt a huge wave of power," she answered, "and it felt hot to the touch. It burned Krieg, too, and he's used to being lit on fire." She gestured over her shoulder in the Psycho's general direction.

Even though he was by the edge of the wooden dock, Krieg must have overheard her comment. "IT'S A COMFORTING WARMTH!" he shouted in response. The Mechromancer chuckled.

"Interesting..." the Seraph vendor mused, bringing Gaige back to the topic at hand. "I can say for certain what the object is, though I'm afraid to trust myself."

The vendor's ominous comment sent a chill down the Mechromancer's spine. _That can't be good..._ she thought to herself. "W-well... What is it, then?" she asked hesitantly.

The vendor's eyes locked onto Gaige's. "That," he said, "is a Seraph Heart."

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

Author's Note: So, how do you like the story so far? Do have questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions? Feedback is always appreciated.


	5. Chapter 4: The Seraph Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.  
Author's Note: A few things to clarify before I begin: First, no New-U stations. Second, this story will be told primarily through the third-person perspective of Gaige. I may not capture her personality well enough, but those of you who have played Borderlands 2 as her should know he personality enough to fill in the gaps.  
Also, I can assure you that there won't be any fairly short chapters like these anymore. I like to keep my chapters to around 800 words.  
Now, enough unrelated rambling. Onto the story!

Chapter 4: The Seraph Heart

"A _Seraph Heart_?" Gaige repeated what the Seraph vendor had told her, dumbfounded. "What the hell is a _Seraph Heart_?" Maya and Axton, who were both behind the Mechromancer, were thinking the same thing.

"It is an ancient Seraph artifact," the vendor answered. "A Seraph Heart is said to be the source of a Seraph's power, the vessel of a Seraph's essence. It is essentially the physical embodiment of a Seraph's spirit. Frankly, most of what is known about the artifact is myth."

"Why haven't we seen this before?" Maya asked. Gaige turned around to see the Siren. She hadn't said anything since they left; the Mechromancer forgot she was with her. "We've killed Hyperius dozens of times before and this hasn't appeared until now."

"The Heart is a very rare artifact," the Seraph vendor said. "I cannot say why it has appeared now as opposed to some other time. What I _can_ say is that the Heart is _dangerous_. The spirit inside of it is immensely powerful, and it can... _change_ those who are in possession of it." His last sentence made Gaige worried.

"Well, what can we do with it?" Axton questioned. "If it's as dangerous as you say, it'd be a bad idea to keep it with us." The Commando paused to think. "Maybe you could keep it. You know more about it than we do."

"No, no," the vendor shook his head. "I've told you most of what I know about it. I would suggest keeping it as far away from Seraph crystals and items as possible. It is risky to even keep it around as long as you have, since you carry Seraph crystals and weapons with you. Put it somewhere safe, _very_ safe, and as soon as possible." The more the vendor explained, the more worried Gaige became. She nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, uh... Thanks for helping us..." Gaige said. "I guess..." She put her hand on the Seraph Heart in her pocket. _Man, this thing must really be troublesome,_ she thought to herself.

"Heed my warning, Vault Hunters," the Seraph vendor said. He slid is little window shut once again. It appeared the converstation was finished.

"Well, that was mildly creepy," Maya remarked.

"More like _uber_ creepy," Gaige said. She rubbed her chin as she thought about a place to store the Heart. "I think we should put this thing in Roland's safe in Sanctuary. That's the safest place I know to put it."

"Good idea," Axton said. "I guess that's where we're going next." He turned and went to inform the rest of the Vault Hunters of what had been revealed.

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

Roland's safe featured lockers for each of the Vault Hunters to store equipment in. Gaige's contained a few weapons and other items, but it mostly held half-finished projects, electronic parts, and tools. She opened it and pulled the Seraph Heart from her pocket. She turned it around in her hand one last time, admiring its rich pink color.

"It's a shame that such a pretty little thing is so dangerous," Gaige mused to herself. "I'd love to keep it if I could." Even though the Mechromancer had only had the diamond for only about a day, she felt strangely attached to it.

"It's better off here, though," Axton reminded her. "We have no idea what that thing's capable of." Frankly, the Seraph Heart scared the Commando. The Seraph vendor made it sound so menacing, so dangerous. He didn't want to find out first-hand just what kind of power it possessed.

"Right," Gaige agreed. She placed the Heart on one of the shelves in her locker. She closed the locker, clamped the padlock back on, then secured the safe itself. Only the Vault Hunters and a few others had access to the combination that opened the safe, so the Mechromancer and the Commando figured it was safest in there. The safe was practically the most secure place on Pandora to store valuables.

Even with the Seraph Heart safely stowed away, Gaige's mind tugged at it. She wanted to learn its secrets, its powers, its potential. Yet, paradoxically, she was afraid of learning those things at the same time. The possibilities enticed her, but the risks worried her.


	6. Chapter 5: Knowledge Hunter

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.  
Author's Note: This was originally going to be two separate chapters, but for the sake of speeding up the exposition, I combined them.  
Now, enough unrelated rambling. Onto the story!

Chapter 5: Knowledge Hunter

The next few hours were pretty uneventful for Gaige. The only job that needed done was retrieving some parts for Tannis. Part of the Digistruct Peak training course was malfunctioning, causing that section of the course to construct copies of King Mong instead of bandits. Other parts of the course stopped working entirely. In short, the course a good dose of general maintenance. Maya and Zer0 agreed to get the parts Tannis needed and left. Salvador was at Moxxi's Bar, his usual hangout spot. Krieg was tormenting Claptrap as usual. Axton, much to Gaige's irritation, had decided to take care of a bandit camp that was beginning to spring up by Overlook by himself.

With nothing important to do, Gaige decided to catch up on lost sleep. After a reasonable nap, she ran maintenance on Deathtrap. She summoned her robotic masterpiece and went about making small repairs and modifications here and there. All the while, her mind wandered. She wanted to know more about the Seraph Heart, but she didn't even know where to begin to find reference materials for such a rare and ancient artifact.

Then it dawned on her: There _was_ somewhere she could start. Gaige smacked her temple with the palm of her hand. _How could I forget about her?!_ she scolded herself.

The Mechromancer hurried down the stairs of Crimson Raider HQ. "Tannis!" she called out. "I need your-" She stopped short when the saw the doctor on her ECHO device.

"I specifically told you two that I needed _three_ capacitors to ensure the optimal data flow!" Tannis cried into her ECHO device. She paused, listening to whoever was on the other end, then heaved a sigh of defeat. "Well, I suppose two will have to make do for now," she said dejectedly. "Just make sure that the two you have don't get damaged on your way back." She flipped the device off and set it on her desk before turning to the Mechromancer. "What do you need this time, Gaige?" she asked tiredly. This wasn't the first time Gaige had asked Tannis for something.

"Your help, actually," Gaige replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "Do you have any reference material on the Seraphs by chance? Or know where I can find some?" The doctor seemed to have information on just about anything you could imagine... if you dared to dig through her endless stacks of papers and books.

"The Seraphs, you say?" Tannis mused as she thought. "I think I recall running into a book on Pandoran myths a few days ago. I discarded it after I couldn't find anything regarding what I was researching at the time. I don't remember where I put it, though..." She paused and briefly looked around her desk, trying to find the book. "I'm sure it's here somewhere," she assured Gaige. "Just look through my things, but put everything you move back _exactly_ where you found it."

Gaige giggled to herself. Tannis was many things, and a neat freak who suffers from OCD (among other things) was just one on the list. The Mechromancer found her displays of bizzareness funny. She carefully sifted through the doctor's drawers and shelves in search of the book. After some thorough digging (and even more thorough replacing), she found the item she was looking for. It was a sizeable brown book, worn with age. She hurried off back upstairs to examine her prize.

The door that once lead to open space after Sanctuary took flight had been renovated into a living quarters. There were three sets of bunk beds for the Vault Hunters to sleep in, as well as other living accommodations. Gaige flopped into her bunk and flipped the book open eagerly. Most of the book's contents were folklore, such as stories surrounding Terramorphous and Vermivorous and other such badass monstrosities. There were only a few pages about the Seraphs, but a little information was better than none.

The Seraphs, it turned out, began as a subgroup of Eridians. They discovered a way to refine eridium into an incredibly pure crystalline form, and these crystals could be charged much like batteries. The other Eridians were fearful of this new-found power and tried to destroy the research regarding the crystals. This sparked a feud between the Eridians and the Seraphs, which grew into a massive war between the two factions. The Seraphs claimed that they were advancing technology to new heights; the Eridians believed the technology was too powerful and needed to be destroyed. Each faction created and unleashed powerful bio-weapons against each other. Both sides suffered heavy losses as the war dragged on. The Seraphs, in a last-ditch effort to win the war, unleashed the Destroyer, their ultimate bio-weapon, the monster that the Eridians sealed in the Vault that Lilith, Brick, Roland, and Mordecai opened. The struggle to contain the beast in the Vault had killed many of the Eridians, thus effectively winning the war for the Seraphs. Before releasing the monster, however, the Seraphs abandoned Pandora to regain their strength. The book also contained an ominous passage regarding the return of the Seraphs. "_They will return when their glorious beacons shine once more_," the passage read. The book said nothing, much to Gaige's disappointment, the Seraph Heart.

The Mechromancer closed the book in frustration. She had only one avenue left to explore for information, though she hadn't planned on taking it. She would have to pester the Seraph vendors for more information. With her goal in mind, packed her bag and stuffed a few Seraph crystals in just in case. She went to the Fast Travel station, entered the coordinates for Oasis, and vanished in a flash of blue light and binary code.

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

Gaige knocked on the door of the Seraph vendor of Oasis. The little window opened and the vendor peered out. His expression lightened when he saw a familiar face. "You've returned," he said flatly. "I assume the Seraph Heart is in a safe place?" He was always about business, as usual. Gaige nodded. "Good, good. What can I do for you, then?"

"I want to know more," Gaige answered. "About the Seraphs. About the Seraph Heart, really. I just... can't take my mind off of that stupid thing." She silently cursed her own insatiable curiosity.

The vendor eyed Gaige intently. "I've already told you what I know about the Seraph Heart. I can offer you no more information, unfortunately," he said. The Mechromancer huffed disappointedly. "I _can_, however, direct you to somewhere that might have the information you're looking for."

Gaige perked up upon hearing this. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

The Seraph vendor nodded. "It's a small island not far off the western coast of this continent. I've heard rumors of ruins there. Eridian ruins." The tray on his door slid out with a small map. The map showed the western edge of the Highlands, and not far away, an island was circled with black ink.

"Oh, this is perfect!" Gaige exclaimed, snatching the map up and stuffing it in her pack. "You're..." she struggled for an adjective. "...You're awesome, y'know that?" She flashed in a thumbs-up before running off towards the Fast Travel station.

The Seraph vendor watched her leave, taking note of their conversation and her body language. "It's affected you already, hasn't it..." he mused to himself. "It's only a matter of time, then."

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

The island was small, only a few miles across, and not very interesting. Only a few pillars sprang up from the coating of lush vegetation on the island. Gaige had summoned Deathtrap to cut a path for her through the thick undergrowth. After about an hour of searching, the Mechromancer and her robot found nothing.

"Well, this sucks," Gaige pouted, crossing her arms. She had made her way back to the center of the island, where the pillars were. "The Seraph dude lied to me. When I get back, I have a serious bone to pick with him." She stretched her robotic hand out, creating her digistruct claws. She recrossed her arms and leaned back on the pillar behind her with a huff. "What do we do now, DT?"

Deathtrap grunted and shrugged. He only followed his master's commands; he didn't formulate plans himself. Gaige giggled as his response. She pushed off of the pillar and looked past it. There were other pillars that made up two rows, which led to a raised pedestal with a small alter on it. Stone tiles lined the path to the alter. She had examined the alter before, but didn't see anything helpful on it or around it.

_There's gotta be more to this site than this_, Gaige thought. She walked up to the alter for another look, with Deathtrap right on her heels. "This alter has to do _something_," Gaige thought aloud. She tried to push it, expecting it to move, but it didn't budge. Frustrated, she scratched her head, trying to think of something.

The Mechromancer got an idea. Most Eridian artifacts need eridium to function. Perhaps if she put some eridium on the alter...

"That's it!" Gaige proclaimed. Her sudden outburst caught Deathtrap off-guard. "Why didn't I think of that before?" She quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few bars of eridium. She carefully placed the alien element on the alter, and, as she expected, the bars glowed brightly and were absorbed by the alter in a flash of purple light. Purple lines began to run along the sides of the alter and down onto the ground, where they spread out further out to and up the pillars. There was an audible _crack_, and a small gap appeared between a few of the stone tiles behind the alter.

Gaige stepped back as the gap widened, creating a dark pit into the ground. The Mechromancer could see a staircase descending into the earth. She mouthed the word "Woah" as the stone tiles that had moved clicked into place. She approached the staircase and tried to see what was at the bottom. All she could see was darkness. She rummaged through her bag again and produced a flashlight. She pointed it down the staircase, but even the flashlight couldn't reveal a bottom to it. Gaige took a few careful steps down before turning back to Deathtrap, who was still at the top.

"C'mon, DT," she urged, motioning him to follow. As the two descended into the darkness, Deathtrap's eye automatically switched to a higher intensity, creating a beam of light much like a spotlight. Dim purple orbs on the walls provided some illumination; even so, it was still very dark. Gaige had her flashlight pointed at her feet to reveal the seemingly infinite number of steps. Eventually, Gaige saw a faint purple glow, and her flashlight finally illuminated a bottom to the staircase. She picked up her pace, taking care not to fall, and hurried down the steps. The purple glow got brighter as she descended. Her mind raced and her heart rate picked up; she was about to make a huge discovery.

The sight that awaited Gaige at the bottom of the staircase was breathtaking. The only words she could say were rather fitting:

"Oh. My. _God_."


	7. Chapter 6: The Lost Ruins

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.  
A/N: Like the last chapter, this chapter was originally two separate ones. I combined them for the sake of speeding things up, as this is still (somewhat) exposition. On another note, I may take a small break (say, a week) to catch up on some school work and to write more chapters.  
Feedback is always appreciated!

Chapter 6: The Lost Ruins

The scene before Gaige was marvelous. Row upon row of stone shelves ran down the length of the chamber, with small purple lines running across them in no apparent orientation. Large purple orbs illuminated the chamber in a shade of violet. The orbs weren't terribly bright, but they revealed enough of the room to show it's general layout. A large Eridian glyph was lit up in the back of the chamber, one Gaige didn't recognize. Then again, the only Eridian glyph she knew was that of the Vaults. Still, she was struck with awe.

"Holy _crap_," Gaige said slowly. She stepped towards one of the shelves and examined its contents with her flashlight. Books of various thickness lined the shelves. She pulled one out, dusted it off, and opened it. The pages, though old, were in astonishing condition. The only problem was that the text was written in the Eridian language. Frowning slightly, Gaige put the book back and explored the chamber.

Towards the back, the shelves ended and tables began. On the walls, as revealed by Gaige's flashlight, were strange instruments of various size and shape. Some of them resembled tools the Mechromancer had used before; others were outright bizarre. All of them fascinated Gaige to no end.

"This is _amazing!_" Gaige exclaimed, her voice echoing inside the chamber. She turned to Deathtrap, who had been following her around rather closely. "We have to bring the others down here!" More importantly, she wanted Tannis to come down to the site. Tannis translate the books; the doctor had begun studying the Eridians extensively after the defeat of the Warrior, and in the process had learned the Eridian language.

With that, she bolted back up the stairs to the surface with her robot in tow. She ran to back through the path Deathtrap had cleared for her to reach the beach. Her boat, which she "borrowed" from a few bandits, was still stuck in the sand, right where she left it. Once Deathtrap pushed the ship out of the sand, Gaige set sail for the Highlands.

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

When Gaige returned to Crimson Raider HQ, she sight she found surprised her. All of the other Vault Hunters were gathered around the control console on the second floor. They seemed to be waiting on something. Their faces were filled with worry. The Mechromancer inched into the room.

"...Am I interrupting something?" she asked to no-one in particular. The Vault Hunters were rarely in the same place together while in Sanctuary, and it was rarer still to see them in Crimson Raider HQ. At the sound of her voice, all of the heads snapped to see her.

"ROBOT GIRL CAME BACK!" Krieg shouted as he ran up to Gaige and scooped her up in a bone-crushing hug, as was his specialty. She groaned at his sudden attack of affection.

"Good to see you too, big guy," Gaige wheezed. Krieg finally released her as Maya and Axton approached.

"Where the hell were you?" the Siren scolded, her arms crossed. "We've been trying to call you for an hour on your ECHO, but you never picked up." She was clearly annoyed, which was a rare sight; though Maya's wrath was infrequent, it was a terrifying spectacle.

"Really?" Gaige asked, surprised. "I never heard my ECHO go off. Weird..." She didn't like all the attention she was getting, which made her fidget. She toyed with one of her red pigtails.

"You had us all worried, Gaige," Axton added. "We began to think that something happened to you." His tone wasn't as rage-filled as Maya's was, but the Mechromancer could still sense the irritation in it.

Gaige scoffed. "Something bad happen? To _me_, of all people? You must forget how much of a badass I am." She was fidgeting with her pigtail as she tried to play off the situation as nothing important.

"It doesn't matter/," Zer0 said. "Anyone can be ambushed/ regardless of skill." The Assassin knew that better than anyone else in the room. Gaige had no immediate counter to that. Before she could come up with one, Maya spoke up again.

"You never answered my question," she said, the anger in her voice gone. "Where were you that whole time?" Her hands went to her hips.

"Oh, right," Gaige said. She hesitated before answering. "I was out exploring. I got word of some weird ruins off the coast of the Highlands. I decided to check them out."

"By yourself?" Axton questioned as his expression soured. "That was dangerous, Gaige. What if you got trapped in there with no way to call us for help?" If he wasn't angry before, he certainly was now.

"What? You think I can't take care of myself?" Gaige retorted. She locked onto the Commando's eyes to stare him down. "I'm perfectly capable of going out on my own, you know! I don't need your constant protection!" She wasn't referring to Axton specifically. She was sick of everyone treating her like a little kid. It irritated her to no end.

"Enough, you two," Maya said, placing herself between Gaige and Axton. "Now is not the time for arguing." She turned to Gaige with a sigh after successfully diffusing the situation. "What did you find out there, anyway?" the Siren asked in an attempt to redirect the conversation.

"Y'know, I _could_ tell you guys what I found..." Gaige began, "but I'd rather _show_ you. I can't describe the epicness. We'll need to bring Tannis, though." The Mechromancer turned to leave.

"Why do we need to bring Tannis?" Salvador asked as he rose from his seat.

"Oh, you'll see," Gaige answered over her shoulder.

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Well, here we are!" Gaige declared when the group reached the bottom of the staircase at the ruins. "Pretty awesome, am I right?"

"This place _is_ pretty neat," Axton admitted. The Vault Hunters spread out across the chamber. Tannis soaked in the scene before she went to examine the books.

"TOO DARK," Krieg groaned. He was following Maya around closely. Her Siren tattoos provided a little extra illumination. He seemed to be more twitchy than usual since he set foot in the chamber. Perhaps, for whatever reason, the Psycho was scared of dark places.

"Krieg has a point, it is pretty dark in here," Maya agreed. "Maybe there's a way we can get the lights to shine brighter." The Vault Hunters began to look for something to do just that. Tannis was still engrossed in the book she opened up.

In the far back of the chamber were three small columns. Salvador noticed them first. "I think I found something," he called out. The others gathered around him.

"They look kinda like consoles," Gaige observed. She brushed the dust off of the slanted top, but nothing was underneath. "Odd."

Zer0 examined the back wall closely. Glyphs were etched into the surface, but even the translating algorithms in his helmet couldn't decipher them. It wasn't a surprise; the Eridian language was long dead. He noticed a small slot in the middle of the wall, just big enough to put a bar of eridium in. He produced a bar of the alien element from his pack and inserted it into the slot. The bar glowed briefly, and multiple purple lines spread out from the slot. They snaked their way along the wall and onto the other walls, and even wound around the floor. The purple orbs on the walls grew brighter. The rest of the Vault Hunters looked around to see what caused the dramatic change.

"I found a small slot/," Zer0 said, calling the attention of his companions to him. "It needed eridium./ I provided some." The purple lines traced their way up each of the three columns. A keypad appeared on the tops of them, representing various Eridian characters. A purple holographic display appeared over the consoles, with more Eridian characters appearing on it.

"_Woah_," Gaige breathed. "Are these Eridian computers? How awesome is that?!" She examined the entire console, looking for something to hook Deathtrap up to. He had a highly sophisticated decryption program installed in him. He could find a way to access the console. The Mechromancer couldn't find anything, however.

Tannis had finished reading the book she picked up and noticed Gaige's distress. She walked over the console and said, "Allow me, if you'd please." After looking at the keypad and the screen for a moment, she typed something in. She pressed a key, and the screen switched to display what appeared to be data files. "Who would have guessed that the Eridians could be as simple-minded as some of us?" Tannis smirked.

"Why do you say that?" Maya asked.

The doctor never took her eyes off of the screen. "The password to access this console was 'password'," she answered as if it were obvious. She touched the screen to access one of the files, and the screen became filled with Eridian characters. Tannis began reading through the file carefully.

"What do you think this place is?" Axton asked to no-one in particular. He was fiddling with one of the tools on the wall that looked like a giant pair of tongs.

Tannis answered him. "Judging from the book I briefly read, the equipment on the walls, and the file I'm reading here, this facility appears to be a former Eridian laboratory." She read more of the file before her, having to squint to read some of the characters. "Actually, I take that back. It's a former _Seraph_ laboratory."

Gaige perked up when she heard the word "Seraph". "A Seraph lab? Really?!" she asked excitedly. Tannis nodded. This was much more of a discovery than the Mechromancer expected. "See if there's anything about the Seraph Heart," she requested.

Tannis gave Gaige a confused look. "I'm afraid I don't know what that is," the doctor said. She grimaced. "Gah, those words tasted like venom."

_Oh, that's right. She doesn't know about that yet_, Gaige remembered. "I'll explain when we get back," she promised. "Just do some digging for me, alright? Please?" She was practically begging Tannis at this point.

"I suppose I can," Tannis sighed. "After all, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't deeply interested in knowing what these Seraphs were up to. If I come across anything, I'll let you know." Gaige hugged the doctor in thanks, much to her dismay. The fear of physical contact was still one of the boundaries Tannis had yet to break.

For Gaige, it was an agonizing wait. She spent that time examining the bizarre tools on the walls. She wondered about what kind of research the Seraphs did with these tools. They, like the Eridians, were much more sophisticated and advanced than she had ever thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when Axton approached her.

"How did you find out about this place?" the Commando asked. "This place doesn't seem like the kind you just stumble upon." He was right; most of the Eridian ruins the Vault Hunters had found had been looted a long time ago. This laboratory was the only exception.

Gaige considered how to answer his question. "I talked to the creepy Seraph guy in Oasis," she said. "I asked him if he knew anything else about the Seraph Heart. He said he didn't, but he showed me where I could maybe find more info." Axton accepted that answer, but he didn't seem pleased with it.

"If you ask me, I'd say that guy's holding something out on us," the Commando said. He crossed his arms. "I don't get a good feeling from him, y'know what I mean?" Gaige nodded in agreement. Axton turned to her, his expression hardening. "Before you go out on your own again, though, let at least one of us know, okay?"

Gaige looked at the Commando when he said this. She couldn't tell if his protectiveness came from instinct or from feelings for her. Perhaps it was a combination of the two. "Alright, Ax," the Mechromancer answered with a reassuring smile.

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

"I've found something!" Tannis proclaimed. Gaige bounded over to the doctor and nearly ran into her to view what she had found. The holographic screen displayed a wall of text along with an image that resembled the Seraph Heart.

"Well? What's it say?" Gaige asked excitedly.

"It says here that the Seraph Heart is essentially a modified Seraph crystal," Tannis read. "Aside from size, the only difference between the two is that the Heart can store information."

"Store information?" Gaige blinked. "How can it do that? It's just a diamond."

"It wouldn't surprise me if the Eridians or the Seraphs devised a way to store information inside of matter," Tannis said, looking at the Mechromancer. "They are highly advanced, after all." She turned back to the screen and continued reading. "Hmm... For whatever reason, there's no mention as to how to access that information. How odd."

As if Gaige wasn't confused enough, this bit of information confused her more. "That is odd," she agreed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Anything else?"

"Nothing of importance," Tannis said, waving her hand as if to dismiss the question. "Just details of how the Seraphs created it, how it supposedly solidified the Seraph's odds of defeating the Eridians, irrelevant things like that." She paused to think as she closed the file. "I would love to stay here and read through the rest of these files and books. This new insight on the Eridians has entrigued me."

"You can stay if you want, I guess," Gaige replied. She looked over her shoulder at the other Vault Hunters, then back to Tannis. "If you don't mind being by yourself, that is. The others look ready to go." Salvador had fallen asleep on one of the lab tables and was snoring. Krieg was twitchy, a sign that he was anxious to go somewhere else. Maya was reading a novel she'd picked up a few weeks ago. Axton and Zer0 were nowhere to be seen; Gaige assumed the pair had already returned to the surface.

"Gaige, I spent most of my life living in blissful solitude, before Roland forcibly relocated me," Tannis said with a slight sigh. "Being alone doesn't bother me in the slightest. The rest of you can do whatever irrelevant activities you want." With that, the doctor turned her attention back to the holographic screen and opened another file.

Gaige turned to leave. "We'll check up on you periodically, then," she said over her shoulder. Tannis nodded without a word. The Mechromancer proceeded to gather the rest of the Vault Hunters to leave.

Layers of mystery were building upon the Seraph Heart. The quest for answers only yielded more questions, and those questions were more intriguing than the last. Gaige's nagging curiosity would never rest until she solved the mystery of the Seraph Heart once and for all.


	8. Chapter 7: The Spirit of the Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.  
A/N: I'm probably going to switch to bi-weekly updates instead of what I've been doing so far. I also made a small-but-important change to last chapter; look for when Tannis tells Gaige about the Seraph Heart.  
I hope you enjoy this chapter. Now, onto the story!

Chapter 7: The Spirit of the Heart

By the time Gaige and the Vault Hunters finished their various jobs and returned to Sanctuary, the day had grown late. Tannis insisted on spending the night in the Seraph laboratory. When Lilith noticed her absence and questioned the Vault Hunters about it, they had to quickly explain the day's findings to the redheaded Siren. Surprisingly, she wasn't upset about the situation; she just wanted Tannis in Sanctuary back by the next night.

Gaige absent-mindedly turned the Seraph Heart around in her hands as she sat on her bed. She had changed into a set of pajamas – just an oversized shirt and undergarments – after her shower. The Vault Hunters, except for her and Maya, went to Moxxi's for a few rounds of drinks. It was almost a ritual when the Vault Hunters were in Sanctuary: do some jobs for the day, get wasted at Moxxi's, probably do something stupid, pass out. Neither Gaige nor Maya were heavy drinkers. A taste of rakk ale ruined alcohol for the Mechromancer, and the blue-haired Siren just didn't like being drunk.

"The more I find out about you, the more mysterious you get," Gaige mused as she looked over the pink. It felt warm against her skin, nothing at all like the searing heat she felt when she first found it. The Heart seemed to glow at her touch, something she hadn't noticed before. Another odd observation was that it never quite looked the same whenever she looked at it. Something inside of it seemed to change. "When will you give up your secrets?"

The only real secret that remained was what kind of information was stored inside of the Heart. Gaige still couldn't comprehend how a seemingly ordinary crystal could store data like a hard drive. Then again, the Eridians were well-known for making things that couldn't be explained by contemporary science. For example, how could they create a monster made entirely out of magma? The Eridians and the Seraphs were shrouded in mystery, and Gaige was determined to dispel that shroud some day.

"Are you still concerned about that?" Maya asked from above. Her bunk was above Gaige's. She was occupied with her book.

"You bet," the Mechromancer answered. "This thing fascinates the hell outta me."

Maya chuckled. "You are one persistent kid," the Siren said. "Sometimes to a fault, but still, it's respectable."

"I just like answering questions," Gaige admitted. "It bugs me when I can't. It really does."

"Y'know, this whole situation reminds me of a quote from a book I read a while ago," Maya remarked. "It said, 'The road of knowledge is seldom smooth.' I just... I get a bad feeling from that Seraph Heart."

"So you're saying I shouldn't pursue this?" Gaige asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Not necessarily," Maya replied. "I'm saying that you should be careful about this. Understand the risks of what you're dealing with. Just... be careful, okay?"

_There's that protectiveness again_, Gaige thought. All of the Vault Hunters, especially Maya and Axton, treated her like she couldn't hold her own in combat. She loathed that kind of treatment, but she knew it was for her own good, at least when Maya said it. "I will," Gaige said. She gazed into the Seraph Heart. "I guess you'll cough up your secrets eventually," she said to it as she stood up.

The Mechromancer returned to Roland's safe and put the Seraph Heart back in her locker. She closed the safe and secured it, then flopped onto her bed unceremoniously. She slid under the covers and let sleep wash over her.

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

A black void surrounded Gaige, much like the one she experienced in her dream a few nights ago. She was suspended in the air, encapsulated by nothingness. She huffed, for she had an idea where this was going, and she didn't like it.

"You're _kidding_," she groaned. As before, the pink mist figure appeared, although this time it was clearer. Gaige could tell the figure was slender like Zer0, but wore a set of armor instead of a skin-tight combat suit. It also had four spike-like extensions on its shoulders, two per side. The details of the armor were still unclear.

"_So, you remember out last interaction?_" the figure asked. Its voice was masculine, confident, powerful. It slowly moved closer to Gaige.

"It's kinda hard not to," she replied, crossing her arms. The figure stopped a few feet away from her.

"_Indeed, it is,_" the figure said. "_Not the best of introductions, I will admit. A little over-dramatic._"

"Who are you, exactly?" Gaige snapped. She didn't have patience for small talk.

"_My, you are impatient,_" the figure remarked. "_Do you not recognize me, Gaige?_"

The Mechromancer eyes widened; how did this... _thing_... know her name? "N-no," she answered, hiding her confusion.

"_That is a shame. You and your friends have defeated my previous form countless times, and yet you don't recognize me,_" the figure said, faking a hurt tone. It quickly dropped the facade. "_Allow me to remind you, then._" The figure shifted from pink to yellow and changed shape. The mist solidified into a form similar to a certain Hyperion engineer.

"_Hyperius_," Gaige hissed. "I had a feeling it was you."

Hyperius spread his arms out and bowed as he reverted back into his misty pink form. "_The one and only,_" he sneered. He rose back up and let his arms fall to his sides. "_Now that we are done with re-introductions, let's get down to business, shall we?_"

"Fine," Gaige said coldly. "What 'business' do you have with me?" She made quotation marks with her fingers when she said "business".

Hyperius' misty form seemed to smile. "_Freeing me from my prison. Returning me to my original form. What other 'business' could there be?_"

His response caught Gaige off-guard. "'Return you to your original form'?" she blinked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"_It should be self-explanatory,_" Hyperius sighed. "_You will release my spirit from my Seraph Heart, which will allow me to return to my original form. It's really that simple._" He spoke pedantically, as if explaining a basic concept an ignorant child.

"Don't talk to me like I'm six, asshole," Gaige spat. His attitude was getting to her. "What makes you think I'll just go along with your little plan, anyway? You're trapped in a diamond, you can't hurt me."

"_There's that fiery spirit,_" Hyperius said with a smirk. "_You underestimate me, Gaige. A common, but terrible mistake. Though I may be trapped inside of my Seraph Heart, I can still make you – and your friends – suffer in ways you cannot even begin to imagine._" The Seraph Guardian chuckled to himself. "_If you ignore me, you will become just like those pathetic bandits that infest this planet: _weak, delusional, worthless scum_._"

His response sent a chill down Gaige's spine. Could Hyperius actually do that? Could he really torment her from within the confines of the Seraph Heart? That was a question she didn't want to have answered.

"_It seems like threats are the only way to make progress anymore,_" Hyperius grumbled more to himself than to Gaige. "_Now, you will need to return to the Seraph laboratory and-_"

"Wait a minute," Gaige interrupted. "How... How do you know I found the lab? How do you know about me at all?" Her head was pounding inside of her skull.

"_I figured you would ask that question sooner or later,_" Hyperius sighed, crossing his arms. "_Whenever you touch my Seraph Heart, part of your consciousness is transmitted into it, and part of my consciousness is transmitted to you,_" the Seraph Guardian explained. "_It's complex Eridian science, you couldn't understand._" His arms fell back to his sides. "_As I was saying, return to the lab and access the center console. Input this word into the password prompt._" He created a ball of light in his hand, then threw it to his right. An eight-character Eridian word appeared from the light.

"_Doing so will open a special chamber,_" Hyperius continued."_Inside it, you will be looking for this._" He created another ball of light, and he extended his hand forward. The ball materialized into a sinister dagger-like object. "_It shouldn't be too difficult to find. Once you have it, take it and my Seraph Heart to the highest point you can find. Stab the Heart with the dagger... and I will do the rest._" The Seraph smirked once again, pulling his hand back and making the dagger vanish.

A faint voice reverberated around the void. It sounded feminine and murky. It gradually became clearer and louder. It was calling Gaige's name over and over, as if concerned.

"_It seems your friends are worried about you,_" Hyperius noted with a frown. He hadn't anticipated an interruption, but it didn't matter. He was finished talking anyway. The voice became even louder, almost to the point of deafening. Before Gaige's hearing became filled with the voice, Hyperius' shouted one final message:

"_You have your instructions, Gaige. Do not disappoint me._"


	9. Chapter 8: Release

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.

* * *

Chapter 8: Release

Gaige gasped and jerked up. She was covered with sweat, just like last time. Her rapid heartbeat pounded in her skull. "Damn," she groaned as she tried to relax. She didn't notice Maya kneeling beside her bed.

"You alright, kid?" the Siren asked.

Gaige's head snapped towards her. She recognized Maya and sighed in relief. "Geez, you scared me. Didn't see you there," the Mechromancer said.

"Sorry," Maya apologized. "You were talking in your sleep. I could feel you becoming stressed from your dream." Gaige gave her an odd look. "I-it's one of my powers," she explained, looking away with a slight blush. "Were you having a nightmare?"

"Not really," Gaige replied as she propped herself up with her pillow. "It wasn't a nightmare... but it wasn't a good dream, either... It was just, y'know... _different_."

"Care to tell me about it?" Maya asked. She sat on the edge of Gaige's bed.

Gaige considered how to explain the dream. She began, "Remember when we asked the Seraph guy about the Seraph Heart? How he said it was like a vessel for a spirit?" Maya nodded. "Well... I think I just talked with that spirit." This earned her an odd stare from the Siren.

"You talked with a spirit?" Maya blinked. Gaige nodded. "Huh. It's almost like what used to happen to me when I was younger." Gaige gave her another questioning look. "Sometimes, I'd dream about talking to other Sirens," she explained. "That was a long time ago..." The Siren briefly reminisced about those dreams before shaking her head. "Anyway, tell me about what was said."

Gaige dove into the details of the conversation. She told Maya about Hyperius, about his instructions, about his threats. "I don't know what to do," the Mehcromancer finished. "I mean, if he does get his original form back, he'll probably find a way back to Pandora to get revenge on us or something. Do I do what he wants, or do I ignore him and put you guys at risk?"

Maya smirked and shot Gaige a "seriously?" look. "Gaige, we put each other in harms way all the time," the Siren said. "Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Hell, danger is part of our job description. We've been to Hell – metaphorically and almost literally – and came out perfectly fine. This shouldn't be a problem for us."

Giage nodded. Maya did have a point; the Vault Hunters had gone up against powers that were supposedly beyond their comprehension and triumphed, and had done so more than once. "Yeah, you're right," the Mechromancer agreed. "We can handle whatever Hyperius throws at us. I know we can. We've killed him God-knows-how-many-times before; what makes this time any different?" Gaige actually sounded enthused about the idea of letting Hyperius return to his original form, though her real feelings were quite the contrary.

"That's the spirit," Maya said with a smile. "So, what's the plan, then?"

The pair formulated a brief plan. After a bit of persuading, Maya agreed to let Gaige retrieve the dagger and release Hyperius' spirit by herself. If the other Vault Hunters started asking questions, Maya would say that Gaige was checking up on Tannis. It was bulletproof.

* * *

As it turns out, Tannis did need checked up on. She hadn't picked up any of the ECHO calls anyone had sent her, so they were worried about the doctor. Gaige generously agreed to see what Tannis was up to. The Mechromancer left fairly early in the morning and made sure to put the Seraph Heart in her pocket.

When Gaige entered the laboratory, the first thing she noticed was that the lights had dimmed back to their original darker state. More eridium was needed to brighten them again. She searched for the slot Zer0 had found the previous day and inserted another bar of eridium. It was promptly absorbed, and the laboratory soon returned to live.

Gaige found Tannis asleep, her face resting on an open book. About a dozen other books were scattered across the table the doctor was at, some of them open, some closed. One of the books had a large picture of what looked like a boomerang-shaped craft with three other structures sweeping backwards. A notebook was beside Tannis' hand, and a page of notes had been written in the doctor's scratchy handwriting.

Gaige gently shook Tannis' shoulder and whispered her name in an attempt to wake her up. The doctor didn't respond. Gaige tried a few more times, each with the same result. The Mechromancer huffed in defeat. She noticed Tannis' ECHO device on the table to the doctor's left and examined it. Usually, when the device has a missed call, it would display a message saying so. However, Tannis' device showed no such message. _Odd_, Gaige thought. _Just like what happened to me_.

With the task of checking on Tannis accomplished, the Mechromancer turned her attention to the more pressing matter on her mind. She stood before the center console and fished a small piece of paper out of her pack. On it, she had written down the Eridian characters she was shown in her dream so she wouldn't forget them. She carefully typed the characters into the console, and once she did so, a small box appeared on the screen with a few characters and a check mark in it. Behind her, she heard a sharp _click_, and she spun around to see what had happened.

Underneath the large Eridian glyph on the back wall, a box the size of a door was outlined with thin purple lines. The area inside the box slid back slowly, then slid up to reveal a new chamber. It was almost silent as it moved. Purple lights on the bottom edges of the walls provided some illumination. Gaige stepped into the new chamber, her footsteps echoing off the walls. Even the sound of her breathing was amplified by the small chamber. On the walls were and assortment of weapons: several guns, swords, spears, and even a few large shields. She didn't notice these at first; her attention was drawn to the pedestal in the center of the chamber.

On the pedestal – or, rather, above it – was a dagger whose blade was a rich pink color. Upon closer examination, it seemed like the blade was made of the same material the Seraph crystals were made of. The cutting edge was smooth and slightly curved, while the other edge was lined with large cutting teeth. The handle and guard were made of a dark-grey metal, and the pommel had a small crystal embedded in it. In terms of shape, it resembled one of the utility knives Axton carried around. The dagger floated tip-down above the pedestal, slowly rotating, suspended by an unseen force.

Gaige wrapped her robotic fingers around the handle of the dagger and pulled it towards her. The unseen force released it after it was pulled far enough away. She switched the dagger to her other hand to feel its weight. It was slightly heavier than most other knives Gaige had used. She examined it closely, admiring its beauty. The flat surfaces of the blade were etched with fine details, making the dagger as a whole seem like more of a ceremonial item instead than an actual weapon.

She carefully placed the dagger in her pack, and made her way out of the chamber after seeing the various weapons on the walls. _Must be some sort of small armory,_ she thought to herself. When she stepped out of the chamber, the door slid back into place and merged with the wall with another sharp _click_. The purple lines around it faded, completing the illusion that door didn't even exist.

Gaige briskly walked towards the long staircase, but stopped in her tracks when she heard groaning. She spun on her heels to find the source of the sound. What she saw was Tannis yawning and stretching. The doctor rubbed her eyes as if trying to get the sleepiness out of them. "Is someone there..?" she mumbled. The fuzziness in her vision cleared, and she recognized the person in the room. "Is that you, Gaige?"

"Uh, yeah, it's me," the Mechromancer answered, trying to keep her cool. She hadn't anticipated on Tannis waking up. "I was just checking up on you. The guys tried to call your ECHO last night, but you never picked up. We got worried." Her voice echoed through the lab.

Tannis' brow furrowed. "I never received any calls," she said. She picked up her ECHO device. The lack of a notification of missed calls confirmed her claim but puzzled her. "How odd. Perhaps this laboratory is so far underground that the ECHO frequency can't reach my device." She drummed her chin with her fingertips. "I might look into that at some point." She looked at the messy table before her and began flipping through the book in front of her.

Gaige inched her way to the staircase. "Well, since you're doing alright, I guess I'll leave you to your work," she said. "Looks like you've been pretty busy with all this Eridian stuff. I don't wanna interrupt." With that, she took off up the stairs.

Tannis didn't look up while Gaige spoke. "Why yes, I have been pretty busy with-" She paused as she realized what the Mechromancer had actually said. "Wait, did you look through my notes?" By the time the question was asked, Gaige was long gone.

* * *

Control Core Angel. The Hyperion complex had been practically abandoned since Handsome Jack's ultimate defeat. It served little purpose after Angel's death, and even less after Hyperion began to pull out of Pandora. All that remained was a small task force of Loaders and personnel to maintain the complex and ward off stray bandit attacks. The same was true for all of Hyperion's remaining territories. Needless to say, the Mechromancer had made her way to the top without a struggle.

Gaige sat at the edge of the platform atop the complex, her feet swinging over the edge. She had told everyone else that she was helping Brick's Slabs with various jobs, so no one questioned her when she traveled to Thousand Cuts. The setting sun turned the sky into a vibrant array of colors, and the cool wind gently blew her pigtails sideways. Above her, the BNK-3R remained where it had crashed when the Vault Hunters neutralized it. Some of its dark-blue paint had worn away due to exposure to the elements. It was a stark reminder of the short-lived victory that had taken place there months ago. It was a day she remembered vividly.

Once she had retrieved the dagger, Hyperius had instructed her to seek out the highest point she could find. The top of Control Core Angel was that point. She sighed and rose from her spot. She had reminisced long enough. It was time to do what she was there to do. She walked to the center of the platform and looked for an ideal spot. The hexagonal plates had small gaps between them; Gaige figured she could set the Seraph Heart in one of those gaps to hold it in place.

She pulled the pink diamond out of her pack and placed it in one of the gaps. Satisfied, she pulled the dagger out and clutched it in her robotic hand. Gaige eyed the Seraph Heart and exhaled. "No turning back now," she said to herself. She lined up the dagger's tip with the top facet of the diamond. She exhaled again, then inhaled as she pulled her arm back for the strike. She swung the dagger down with all the strength she could muster, easily driving the blade into the diamond. Pink light emanated from the cracks created from the impact.

The Seraph Heart began to glow harshly. The bright light traveled through the blade of the dagger and up to the small crystal on the pommel. It collected there, glowing with an unnatural intensity. Gaige shielded her eyes from the harsh light. Hyperius' voice boomed in her ears: "_At last! I am released from my prison!_" In a burst of light, the Seraph Heart dissolved and was channeled through the dagger to the crystal on the pommel. With another burst, a ball of energy shot into the sky, bound for space. Gaige felt like a piece of her left with it. Perhaps it was because the part of Hyperius that was embedded in her conscious was gone. Regardless, she felt a strong sense of relief.

That relief was short-lived. A new question dulled the relief with a strange fear: _What happens now?_

* * *

A/N: I'm changing up how I do these notes. I took the advice from one of the reviews and tried to add more depth to my descriptions (namely, subtle details). I'm satisfied with how it turned out. On another note, as you can see, I figured out how to make those horizontal line things. Yay~  
Feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading.


	10. Chapter 9: Homecoming, Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.

* * *

Chapter 9: Homecoming, Part I

The ball of energy rocketed through space, leaving a faint pink trail behind it. It traveled to the edge of the solar system, passing through objects that got in its way. It struck the front of a large object, creating a wave of energy that spread over the surface of the object. This was no ordinary object, however; this was a starship, a remnant of a civilization long-gone. The craft was shaped roughly like a broad arrowhead. It had a pair of wide wings and a slender, tapering tail. Three long, curved wings swept back across the top of the craft towards the tail. There wasn't a single sharp edge or point on the ship, aside from the tips of the wings and tail. When the wave of energy made its way to the tail and stopped, the ship started to come to life. A pair of engines began to glow in the back, one on either side of the tail.

Inside the ship, lights that had been off for thousands of years flickered back on. Ancient computers switched on and automatically began running a series of commands. Further back in the body of the ship, the antimatter generator flared to life, bringing power back to the ancient starship. Life support systems switched on, quickly filling the craft with breathable air for its occupants.

In a special room, a cryogenic containment pod switched on, followed by the dozens of others that accompanied it. The lid slid out slightly, and air hissed out into the now-restored artificial atmosphere of the ship. It slid up, revealing a creature wearing golden armor. His skin was a rosy pink. The creature was humanoid, but more slender and taller than a human. His head was reptilian, almost like that of a snake, but lacked the scales. He groaned and coughed violently, spitting up a glob of the preservative fluid that had been pumped into him before he had been frozen.

The creature reached out and grabbed the sides of his pod. He pulled himself out slowly, allowing his muscles to ease into the action. He stepped on the floor, easing his weight onto first one leg, then the other. He grunted and coughed again, spewing out more preservative fluid. He slowly walked down the halls to the helm of his ship, the bridge, allowing his body to gradually become used to the actions once again. As his body warmed up, his skin darkened to a deep purple color.

Once in the bridge, he stood before the Captain's chair and gazed out into space for a long time, wondering how long it had been since he last had. He ran his delicate fingers over the top edge of the chair, feeling the engraved Eridian characters that spelled his name: "Hyperius". He spoke a command in Eridian and the bridge came alive. One by one, the computer screens flickered on. A series of holographic screens appeared before him, displaying the ship's diagnostics and other information. Satisfied that nothing was out of the ordinary, he eased himself into the chair.

The other crew members, his subordinates, gradually filtered in. Some of them seemed perfectly fine after sleeping cryogenically for thousands of years; others were still violently coughing up preservative fluid in vicious spasms. They began attending to their various stations. All of them were like him: slender, purple-fleshed, tall, and ancient. All of them were Eridians.

More correctly, all of them were Seraphs.

Hyperius' golden eyes scanned over his crew members, counting them to make sure all were accounted for. All were present. A small smile crept onto his face, though he quickly dismissed it in favor of his usual stern, emotionless mask.

"Antimatter generator is running at 70 percent capacity and climbing," one Seraph said in Eridian.

"Life support systems fully operational," another reported.

"Weapon systems and shields coming online," a third announced. A faint blue field of hexagons flowed over the large viewing port before fading, signifying that the shields were active.

This was all the usual banter the Seraph Guardian had heard dozens of times before. He simply nodded in acknowledgement as more reports were shared. His attention was focused on the screen before him. He heard his second-in-command enter the bridge due to his coughing.

"I take it you slept well, Alderius?" Hyperius asked without looking at him. He flipped through files on his screen to find one he was looking for.

"Apologies, Captain," Alderius said. "Cryogenic preservation takes some getting used to." He coughed again, producing another glob of fluid. He wiped his mouth, smearing the fluid on his pristine silver armor.

"So it does," the Captain mused. He found the file he was looking for and opened it. It displayed a map of the solar system he wanted, the system Pandora was part of. Another small smile played across his face.

The Officer looked at the map and tilted his head slightly. "Where are you planning to go, Hyperius?" he asked, though he had an idea what the answer was. There was only one logical place to go.

Hyperius' smile widened. "Home," he answered simply. He glanced the Seraph who served as his navigation officer. "Set a course for Pandora," he ordered. He looked out the wide viewing window of his ship. "It's time we reclaimed what is rightfully ours." The navigation officer nodded and rapidly entered the coordinates for the savage planet. He input another command and waited.

The ship's engines roared to life, glowing bright blue with energy. They fired in unison and rapidly propelled the ship forward. The ship streaked through space at tremendous speed towards Pandora. The navigation officer announced that they would reach Pandora in two day's time.

* * *

Gaige made sure to return to Crimson Raider HQ before dark. Lilith preferred to have all of the important Raiders back in Sanctuary by nightfall unless they were doing an important mission. The Mechromancer wandered around the flying city aimlessly, with nothing to do and no one to do it with. The boys were busy drinking themselves to oblivion at Moxxi's bar, as usual. Maya had taken on the task of convincing Tannis to return to Sanctuary. The two had yet to return, which wasn't a surprise. With nowhere better to go, Gaige stepped into Moxxi's bar.

The Mechromancer never got used to the wall of alcohol smell that she had to conquer to enter the bar. The mediocre music was playing at it's usual intensity, loud enough to drown out outside conversations, but not obnoxiously loud. Gaige sat down at the bar and ordered a glass of water. She was soon joined by Sir Hammerlock.

"Fancy seeing you around here," the old hunter greeted as he sat down. He clutched a glass of wine in his right hand. His old sniper rifle, the Elephant Gun as he called it, was slung across his back.

"Hey, Hammerlock," Gaige said flatly. She took a long drink of her water. It had an odd aftertaste, like a mixture of salt and metal. Though Sanctuary did have a water purification and recycling system, years of neglect had taken its toll. Nonetheless, it was drinkable, which was what mattered.

"Why aren't you over there with your friends?" Hammerlock asked, gesturing over his shoulder to the booth behind them. Gaige glanced at the table. Brick and Salvador were arm-wrestling as Axton and Mordecai watched. Brick struggled to pin the Gunzerker's burly arm down, but with a final push, he succeeded. Laughter erupted and drinks were taken.

"Drinking's not my thing," Gaige answered blandly, turning back to the counter. She swirled her glass, watching the clear liquid inside slosh around before taking another sip. "That, and they're kinda obnoxious when they're drunk."

"Understandable," Hammerlock said. He took a sip of his own drink and carefully set the glass on the bar table. He eyed the Mechromancer for a moment. The old hunter could tell that something was off by her actions and her responses. "Is something on your mind, Gaige?"

She considered how to answer. "Have you ever felt like you're chasing something that you can't catch? Like something you want is _so_ _close_... but you just can't grab it?" She emptied her glass with one final swig.

"I don't suppose you're talking about animals, now, are you?" Hammerlock answered, which made Gaige chuckle. She shook her head. "What are you referring to, then, may I ask?"

"Answers," the Mechromancer said. She scoffed at herself and shook her head. "Sounds like some sort of philosophical bullcrap, doesn't it?"

"Not at all," Hammerlock said. "It's natural to have questions that you want answered. Some people spend a lifetime looking for those answers. Now, it's none of my business what you are seeking answers to, but they will come to you in good time. I promise." He patted her shoulder with his left hand reassuringly. "They always do."

"Yep... Philosophical bullcrap," Gaige mused to herself. Hammerlock wasn't the best at helping someone solve personal problems, but at worst, he was someone who listened as people spilled their worries and troubles. At worst, he was just someone to talk to. "Thanks, Hammerlock," she said to the old hunter with a small smile.

Hammerlock returned the smile before he downed the last of his wine with an ungraceful gulp. His ECHO device beeped on his side, and he examined it with an irritated grunt. His expression soured at he read the message on its' display. "What? Now? At this ungodly hour?" he groaned to himself. He huffed and rose from his seat. "It appears that a friend of mine wants to hunt borok in Aegrus right this very instant," he explained to Gaige. "Why he chose to accept my offer now of all times is beyond me. Well then, if you'll excuse me." He tipped his hat and trotted off to the Fast Travel station.

Gaige watched the old hunter leave. Behind her, the four Vault Hunters erupted with drunken laughter once again for whatever reason. She felt a little better after talking to Hammerlock, but the burning question on her mind was still nagging her:

_Did I do the right thing?_

* * *

A/N: If you're having trouble visualizing Hyperius and his Seraphs, just visualize Zer0 with a suit of armor on. I liked writing this chapter, especially the first half.  
Next chapter: Hyperius begins plotting his first course of action.  
Feedback is always appreciated!


	11. Chapter 10: Homecoming, Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.

* * *

Chapter 10: Homecoming, Part II

"Guys, you need to look at this." Lilith's tone was deadly serious.

All of the Vault Hunters (minus Brick) had gathered around the hologram table inside Crimson Raider HQ. Lilith had called an emergency meeting in the afternoon to discuss something urgent. On one end, the table displayed a three-dimensional projection of Pandora and the moon, along with Hyperion's space station and a series of dots representing satellites. On the other, a new large object was moving towards the planet. It was highlighted in red.

"What is that?" Axton asked the obvious question, pointing at the object. It looked vaguely like a broad arrowhead, with three arcs sweeping back towards the rear end of it. It was massive, almost half as wide as Hyperion's space station was.

"No idea, _amigo,_" Mordecai shrugged with his arms crossed. "Whatever it is, our estimates say it'll reach Pandora in just under a day's time." He glared at the projection through his goggles. "I've never seen anything like it."

Lilith spoke up. "Hyperion says it's not theirs. They have no idea what it is, either. It kinda looks like something Maliwan would make, though."

"Last time I checked, Maliwan wasn't too interested in developing spacecraft," Maya said. "Their entire corporate division was just restructured a few weeks ago."

"Look, whatever this thing is, we need to be cautious," Mordecai said. "If it's friendly, fine. If it's not, we need to be prepared for anything." He dove into a list of supplies that needed to be gathered and jobs that needed done, but Gaige wasn't listening.

The Mechromancer was transfixed on the red hologram as it slowly moved over the table. Though she didn't recognize it immediately, part of her swore she did. _Where have I seen that before?_ she thought. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember. They snapped open when she remembered. _One of the books Tannis had!_

"I know what that thing is," Gaige said. The conversation stopped abruptly and all eyes shot to her.

"What?" Lilith gawked. "More importantly, _how?_"

"I-I saw a picture of it in one of the books in the Seraph lab," the Mechromancer explained, stepping forward. "Now, I can't read Eridian, but I'm pretty sure I know what this is."

"Well, say it, then," Mordecai beckoned. All eyes were still locked on her.

Gaige exhaled audibly. "That," she said, pointing at the red hologram as it inched forward, "is a Seraph cruiser."

An awkward silence fell onto the room as everyone processed what Gaige just said. "A_ Seraph cruiser_?" Lilith repeated slowly, blinking. "You're certain about that?"

"More or less, yeah," Gaige shrugged. "Besides, what else could it be?"

Mordecai rubbed the back of his neck. "She does have a point there," he admitted.

"That doesn't help our situation any," Lilith grumbled. "We need a plan of attack. We can't just sit around and watch this thing do whatever it wants."

"That might be the better idea, actually," Gaige piped up. "It's not likely to be friendly. We've killed the Seraphs enough that they're probably royally pissed at us and want some revenge."

"Right," Maya said. "We probably shouldn't do our usual plan of attack, either. There's no telling what kind of firepower that ship has."

"You mean rushing it with guns blazing isn't an option?" Salvador groaned. "That's no fun." He mumbled something in Truxican as he pouted.

Zer0 shook his head. "A wise strategy/ would be to observe this foe/ before attacking," the Assassin offered.

"WATCH AND LEARN!" Krieg roared with a wave of his buzz-ax.

The uncharacteristic sense of caution puzzled and frustrated Lilith. They were never ones to watch their prey before attacking. The redheaded Siren looked to Mordecai for some sort of support, who only shrugged with a smirk. "Looks like that's our plan," he said.

"Fine," Lilith sighed in defeat. "I guess it's for the better. Being reckless isn't always the best option." She turned the holographic table off and glanced at each of the Vault Hunters. "Maya and I are going to meet with Blake tomorrow in Opportunity to work out some final negotiations. If anything major comes up on this, I wanna know ASAP. Got it?" A series of nods and grunts was the response. "Good. You're all dismissed."

* * *

"Captain, we're nearing Pandora," the navigation officer reported in Eridian. The planet was front and center in the viewing window, taking up almost the whole view. Its' diverse geology never ceased to amaze Hyperius. Much had changed since he had last seen the savage planet.

"Home, sweet home," he mumbled to himself. He almost didn't notice the obnoxious "H" orbiting in front of the moon. His eyes narrowed at the sight of it. "What is _that_ abomination?" he growled. "Scan it."

A few crew members furiously typed at their stations at his order. Gradually, a complete schematic of the object appeared on Hyperius' main screen. "It appears to be a space station, sir," one of them announced.

Hyperius analyzed the schematic briefly, his brow furrowed. "After we reclaim this planet," he grumbled, "I want it destroyed." He saved the schematic and closed it. "Cut engines to half power and begin re-entry procedure. When we clear the upper atmosphere, activate cloaking device," he barked at his subordinates.

The ship rapidly approached Pandora's atmosphere. The shields slowly became visible as they absorbed the heat from entering the atmosphere. The navigation officer counted down, "Beginning re-entry in 3... 2... 1..."

* * *

For the Vault Hunters, the rest of the day was busy. A long list of supplies had to be gathered, and even in separate groups, it took most of the day to find them all. Gaige delivered a large crate of medical supplies, the last item on her list, to Dr. Zed. She held her breath as the exchange of supplies for cash took place, for the smell of blood and other bodily fluids that shrouded the doctor never set well with her. She wiped her forehead with a sigh and headed back to Crimson Raider HQ.

The Mechromancer headed to the control center, where the other Vault Hunters were gathered. "Good job getting all those supplies, _amigos_," Mordecai said. "The more prepared we are, the better. I think you all deserve a little treat for your hard work." He grinned, and some of the others knew what he had in mind. "Drinks are on me tonight."

"I like the sound of that!" Salvador cheered as he jumped from his chair. He was the first one out the door. The other men soon followed suit.

Maya, as usual, opted out of drinking in favor of finishing her book. This left Gaige, once again, with no one to hang out with. Fortunately, she had something she needed to do. She retrieved her homemade laptop from Roland's safe and used it to sign into her ECHO Cast profile. Since the ordeal with the Seraph Heart began, the Mechromancer hadn't had the opportunity to stream an ECHO Cast. Since her arrival on Pandora, she had tried to keep up with her daily streams. She sat on the couch in the control center. She had a view of the clear night sky from her seat. She clicked the icon to start streaming.

"Good evening, my 75,000 subscribers!" Gaige began. She rounded that number down, of course. Her chronicles of the Vault had earned her lots of popularity... the positive kind, as opposed to the infamy she got from accidentally blowing up Marcie. "I know I haven't streamed in a couple days, but life's been pretty hectic recently. If you liked my stories of the Vault, you're gonna _love _this. Where-oh-where do I begin..?" She dove into the story about the Seraph Heart, omitting unnecessary parts and exaggerating others to make herself seem more badass. As she went on, a new star in the sky appeared. It was large and bright red, and seemed to be growing bigger and brighter by the second.

"So, I walked down those old, creepy stairs, and guess what I find? An abandoned _Seraph laboratory!_ Just my luck!" Gaige exclaimed. "It was dark and creepy and musky, but it was _totally_ badass! It had all these books and lab equipment and epic stuff... It was just... _awesome_. Sadly, I can't read Eridian, so I-" The Mechromancer stopped because she noticed the bright star in the sky, which had grown to about the size of a coin from her perspective.

"What the hell is _that?_" Gaige said slowly, getting up from her seat to get a better view. The star became almost too bright to look at before suddenly vanishing. A dark shape could be seen where the star was, though it was a fraction of the size. It was difficult to spot against the dark-blue night sky. The shape slowly moved to the east before completely disappearing. Gaige watched the sky for another few minutes in confusion before remembering she was still streaming.

"Sorry guys, something weird was happening outside," she apologized. "I hope you didn't get bored and leave. I'd have to beat you up. Now, where was I..? Oh, right! So, I needed to get Tannis to translate the books for me..."

* * *

"Re-entry complete, cloaking field fully operational," the Seraph navigation officer announced.

"Good," Hyperius mused. His attention was focused on a three-dimensional holographic map of Pandora. The map showed the landscape in amazing detail. His current location was marked with a green arrow. Several other figures were displayed around the map. He turned the map around over and over, as if looking for something.

"What are you looking for, Captain?" Alderius asked from over Hyperius' shoulder. He was also examining the map, though the Captain kept moving it before he could get a good look at anything.

"A suitable place to make our grand entrance," Hyperius responded. He zoomed in on a particular area, the Highlands. He moved the map over a long bridge to a small artificial island. A figure beside it showed how many people were located there. The number pleased him. "There," he breathed, pointing at the island with a purple finger. "This city will do nicely."

Alderius squinted to see the small numbers on the map. "I believe it will," the Officer agreed. "I presume we're beginning the process there?" He sounded excited; the prospect of battle thrilled him.

"Of course," Hyperius answered matter-of-factly, a small grin playing across his face. "The sooner we begin, the better." He turned to Alderius. "Prep the fighters for launch," he ordered. "I want all of them combat-ready by sunrise."

"Yes, Captain," Alderius said curtly with a small bow. He turned on his heels and exited the bridge. As the door closed with a hiss behind the Officer, Hyperius turned back to the map.

The Captain marked the island with a red beacon, signifying the ship's next destination. He manually uploaded the coordinates to the ship's navigation systems. "Soon it will be known," Hyperius mused to himself, a smirk playing across his face, "that the Seraphs have returned."

* * *

A/N: Hyperius has now arrived at Pandora and decided on his first target. We'll finally have some action next chapter!  
As always, feedback is appreciated.


	12. Chapter 11: Homecoming, Part 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Borderlands or anything related to it.

* * *

Chapter 11: Homecoming, Part 3

Hyperius' cloaked ship arrived at Opportunity a few hours after sunrise. According to Alderius, the fighters and soldiers were fully prepped for combat. Hyperius was about to give an order when one of his technicians caught wind of radio chatter coming from the city. Something seemingly important was being discussed. Hyperius listened to the conversation in silence, his curiosity temporarily piqued.

* * *

Lilith and Maya left for Opportunity early in the morning. The meeting with Blake, now the President of Hyperion, was scheduled for midday. Lilith wanted to discuss Hyperion's various settlements with him, namely what would happen to them once the company pulled out of Pandora for good. She figured the answer would be simple – just abandon them to the bandits – but she wanted to make sure.

Gaige spent the early hours of the day working on a new modification for Deathtrap. She wanted to alter his shield-refilling ability to make it project a shield wall. It could be used to provide cover for her and the other Vault Hunters in a pinch. It was delicate work, to say the least.

Morning transitioned to midday, and Gaige was getting frustrated with her work. Though his shield ability was altered, Deathtrap's coding needed to be changed as well to make sure he used it correctly. Deathtrap's coding was fragile, so altering a line of it caused dozens of errors throughout. She diligently patched the errors, and soon the number was down to one. She patched it carefully and let out a cheer of success when no other errors popped up. She snapped her laptop closed triumphantly and decontructed Deathtrap. With her goal accomplished, she went to see what the other Vault Hunters were doing.

Mordecai, Axton, Salvador, Krieg, and Zer0 were all huddled around a speaker on one corner of the control room, listening intently. Lilith had attached a one-way ECHO audio transmitter to her, so, unknown to Blake, the entire meeting was being recorded and broadcast back to Sanctuary. Gaige made her way over to the group as quietly as she could to listen in.

"...I can assure you, Lilith, that only enough Hyperion personnel will be left on this planet to maintain and protect the city of Opportunity," Blake said.

"What did I miss?" Gaige whispered to Axton.

"Not much," the Commando replied, his attention locked on the speaker. "The meeting basically just started. They're discussing Hyperion's settlements right now."

"What about Overlook?" Maya asked, an edge of anger in her voice. "Are you just going to abandon them?"

"We have shipped Overlook a substantial amount of medical supplies, which should last them for quite some time," Blake replied coolly. "When medical reports were last collected, the number of cases of skull-shivers have decreased significantly since Handsome Jack's... removal."

"The people still depend on you to provide everything else for them," Maya pressed. "They'll still need shipments of food, water, clothing-"

"All of which I am certain the Crimson Raiders can provide," Blake interrupted. "As much as I hate to say this, Overlook is simply not an important Hyperion settlement. I have done what I could for them."

"Easy, Maya," Lilith said. "Alright, what about Control Core Angel?" the redheaded Siren continued. "You're not using that place for anything, are you?"

"Control Core Angel lost its sole purpose after Angel's death," Blake replied. "The facility has no conventional value to us. If you wish, you may use the facility yourselves. Hyperion has no interest in-" He stopped short. An ominous silence hung in the air for several seconds. "What on earth is that..?" Blake said slowly.

"What?" Lilith asked. A low rumble could be heard through the transmission. The sound of explosions and glass shattering followed shortly after. "Oh, shi-!" The transmission cut off.

Everyone who was listening was silent for a moment, unsure of how to react. "What the hell just happened?" Salvador finally thought aloud.

"Guys! Get your asses down here NOW!" Lilith's voice boomed through their ECHO devices. The sound of explosions, screaming, and gunfire filled the background.

"Lilith! What the hell's going on over there?!" Mordecai said, stating the question everyone had on their minds.

"They're here!" Lilith shouted. A loud explosion sounded in the background. "We need all of you here ASAP!"

"_Who's_ here?!" Mordecai demanded.

"The Seraphs!"

* * *

In the months that followed Handsome Jack's demise, the city of Opportunity gradually came close to completion. In a matter of minutes, however, all that progress was being reduced to smoldering debris. Seraph fighters blasted gaping holes in some buildings and completely leveled others. Pandemonium filled the streets. Civilians and Hyperion personnel alike were frantically seeking cover underground in the city's new siege shelters. The Seraph soldiers stalked the streets, shooting soldiers, civilians, and Loaders indiscriminately. Hyperius' cruiser loomed in the distance, spanning nearly the entire horizon and blocking out a large part of the sky.

When the Vault Hunters appeared on the outskirts of the city, they quickly broke into action after absorbing the scene. Axton and Gaige directed civilians and workers to the underground shelters, while Mordecai and Zer0 searched for Lilith and Maya. Salvador and Krieg did what they did best: charge into the fray with guns blazing and axe swinging.

"Let's go, let's go!" Axton barked from the entrance of a shelter. "Quickly!" Debris from a nearby explosion showered the terrified people as they scurried inside. When the last few people were inside, the Commando pulled the heavy door shut.

"Get inside! Now!" Gaige shouted from the entrance of another shelter. She and Deathtrap funnelled people in the door from opposite sides. A Seraph fighter approached from a distance, firing into the crowd with twin streams of pink lasers. Gaige returned fire with her Vladof assault rifle, but her bullets did little against the shield protecting it. It veered to the left after completing its strafing run. Deathtrap pulled the door to the shelter shut once everyone was inside.

"Is your shelter secured?" Axton asked over Gaige's ECHO.

"Yep! It's locked up tight!" she replied.

"Good. Meet me at Living Legend Plaza. Move!" the Commando ordered. Gaige hurried towards the plaza, with Deathtrap in tow. Another Seraph fighter unleashed a hail of pink laser bolts at her as she ran, but Deathtrap projected a temporary energy wall in front of the bolts to absorb them.

"I knew that mod would come in handy," Gaige remarked. The pale-blue energy wall absorbed the lasers before fading. "Thanks, DT!" she said over her shoulder. The robot merely grunted in response. She saw Axton in the distance, shooting at something and with his Sabre turret deployed. and picked up her pace.

"I'm here!" Gaige called out as Axton jammed a new magazine into his Dahl SMG. He was facing off against a pair of Seraph soldiers, while his turret was shooting at another. A fourth soldier was approaching from Axton's side, out of his view. Before it could draw its rifle, a flurry of bullets from Gaige struck its shield-covered bronze armor, barely doing any damage but catching its attention. It whipped around and fired four pink laser bolts; the first two missed, but the second two easily broke the Mechromancer's shield. She frantically ducked for cover as Deathtrap sped towards the new threat. The robot took several rounds before grabbing the Seraph by the throat. His single red eye stared into the pair of wide pink eyes in front of him. Gaige switched to the Florentine and shot the Seraph with it; the E-Tech rounds shredded its shield and pierced its chest armor, killing it. Deathtrap dropped the corpse of the Seraph like a sack of potatoes.

"That seemed to work," Gaige thought aloud. She turned to Axton, who was still engaging the pair of Seraphs from before. "Try E-Tech weapons, Ax!" she said to him. He simply nodded in acknowledgement, then switched to a fire E-Tech Vladof assault rifle. When one of the soldiers leaned out from cover to shoot, the Commando fired a burst of rounds at it. The red lasers quickly tore through its shield and caught the soldier on fire. It panicked for a second, which was as long as it took for another burst of E-Tech rounds to rip through its skull, splattering the ground and wall with purple blood. The second Seraph stared at its partner in shock before being bombarded by fiery lasers. It slumped over dead as its purple flesh slowly burned.

"Good advice, Gaige," Axton huffed, reloading. His turret was still occupied with the Seraph it had targeted before. Gaige ordered Deathtrap to support it. The robot approached the Seraph from the side, surprising it, and shoved it into the turret's line of fire. The Seraph was quickly met with a barrage of rockets and slag bullets, which all but destroyed the body. Axton deactivated his turret and retrieved it, and Deathtrap deconstructed to recharge. "Mordi, Zer0, any luck finding our Sirens?" the Commando asked over his ECHO.

"Not yet, _amigo,_" Mordecai replied. The crack of a sniper rifle sounded through the ECHO. "We're still trying to find 'em." Another crack. "Damn, these _pendejos_ are tough."

"Normal bullets don't do too much to 'em," Axton said. "E-Tech weapons seem to work, though. Keep looking for Lilith and Maya."

"No need!" A familiar wave of energy washed over Gaige and Axton as Lilith appeared from her Phasewalk with Maya clutching the redhead's shoulder. "We're both fine. Blake got picked up by a Hyperion dropship soon after the fighting started." She chuckled. "Seems he doesn't like being shot at."

The reunion was short-lived. A squad of four Seraph soldiers closed in on the group, one from each side. Axton aimed his E-Tech assault rifle, Gaige raised her Florentine, Maya readied her Maliwan shock pistol, and Lilith's energy wings flared to life. Each of them targeted one of the Seraphs. All was still for what seemed like an eternity, aside from the sound of explosions on the other side of the city.

Gaige pulled her trigger first. The dual shock-slag rounds from her Florentine quickly broke her target's shield and staggered it, giving her time to lunge with her digistruct claws. She raked her claws against the Seraph's bronze armor, creating four deep cuts down the crest plate. The Seraph screeched in pain and retorted by catching her under her right arm and throwing her back. She landed hard on her artificial shoulder and rolled a few times. She aimed her Florentine after the final roll and had just enough time to fire before the Seraph did. The shots penetrated the alien's upper chest and throat. It wheezed and gargled as blood oozed from the neck wound. It collapsed, and the pained breathing stopped shortly after.

Gaige wiped her forehead and stood up. She trotted back to the Plaza to see how her friends were doing. Axton smacked his Seraph with the butt of his rifle, which made the alien stumble back and fall. The Commando pinned the Seraph with his foot and fired the rest of his magazine into its face. Maya's target was an unrecognizable mass of bloody purple flesh and crushed bronze armor. Lilith's Seraph had a fist-sized hole in its chest, and its armor and skin looked thoroughly pulverized.

"These guys aren't as bad as I thought they'd be," Lilith remarked as her fiery wings vanished. "I guess they weren't expecting us to be able to fight back."

"Make's sense," Maya said, holstering her pistol. "They must not know about E-Tech weapons. Or about Sirens, for that matter."

"Definitely not Sirens," Lilith said with a chuckle. "Man, they were scared of us, weren't they?"

"More like scared of _you_," Maya countered. The remark only made Lilith laugh more.

The nearby building rocked uneasily as energy torpedoes pounded against it. A shower of glass fell over the four Vault Hunters. More blasts destabilized the building, and it slowly fell towards the Vault Hunters. All of them stared at their impending doom. "Oh, you've gotta be-!" Lilith started before shouting an order. "Grab hold of me!" All three obeyed, and as the building smashed into the ground, the four flashed out of existence. They reappeared several feet beside the building, amidst a cloud of dust and debris.

"_Damn_, that was trippy," Gaige groaned. She stumbled away from Lilith, her hand clutching her forehead. A pounding headache rampaged inside her skull.

"Phasewalking takes some getting used to, kid," Lilith said. "You'll be fine in a few minutes. Trust me."

Above them, a Seraph fighter made a nose-dive. Krieg had somehow managed to climb onto the fighter, smash the cockpit open, and pulzerize the pilot. He held the falling craft with a death grip as the craft plummeted to the earth. The noise he was making seemed like a cross between an excited squeal and a terrified scream. The fighter smashed into the ground not far from the four Vault Hunters and exploded in bright blue flames. The Psycho eventually pushed his way out of the debris. Axton and Maya drew their weapons, thinking the pilot was still alive.

"Worst. Roller-coaster. Ever," Krieg groaned as he hoisted himself from the wreckage. His body was covered with lacerations and burnt patches. A few shards of metal were embedded in his impossibly muscular arms. He didn't seem to notice or mind.

"Krieg?! What the hell!" Maya exclaimed and rushed to the Pyscho's side to gauge his condition. He let her examine him in silence, though he became more twitchy as time went on. Even amidst chaos, the blue-haired Siren never tried to hide her concern for Krieg.

"Looks like they're retreating," Mordecai noted over his ECHO. "Good thing, too. If they stayed any longer, I doubt anything would be left of this damned city." The Seraph fighters were returning to the cruiser, and the soldiers were nowhere to be seen. The sound of explosions had ceased.

"_La_ _fiesta_ is over already?!" Salvador groaned from his ECHO. "I was just getting started!"

"You'll have another shot at them, Sal, I'm certain of it." Gaige said. She gazed at the enormous Seraph cruiser in the sky. The cruiser began to turn, and a cloaking field enveloped it as it did so. "This is just the beginning."

* * *

Though the assault on Opportunity only lasted about half and hour, much of the city had been destroyed. Around a hundred civilians and workers died in the attack, but the effectiveness of the protocol for just such an attack had proven its worth. Only a few buildings still stood, albeit with gaping holes in their sides and fires burning inside of them. It would take months, if not years, to rebuild all that had been destroyed. The message Hyperius wanted to convey, however, had ultimately been broadcast: the Seraphs have returned, and they are very dangerous.

* * *

A/N: Yikes, looks like the first version I posted of this got hit by a bug of some kind... I fixed it, though. No biggie.  
This is my first attempt at a combat scene, so feel free to offer some critiques.


	13. Chapter 12: Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.

* * *

Chapter 12: Aftermath

Hyperius watched the assault unfold from his cruiser. The demonstration of Seraph supremacy pleased him. He watched in silence as humans and machines were vaporized with lasers and as buildings were blasted apart by energy torpedoes. A small fleet of little drones recorded the action from various viewpoints. They only streamed video back to Hyperius' console. He didn't notice a Hyperion dropship arrive to retrieve President Blake, nor did he care.

"Years worth of progress torn down in an instant," he mused to himself, a small smirk on his face. He knew the feeling of lost progress all too well. The Seraph infantry brought swift judgement upon the humans; human weaponry barely scratched the Seraph's superior shielding technology. It wasn't until the Vault Hunters arrived that his smirk faded. It quickly became apparent that this bunch was no ordinary group of humans. Hyperius instructed the drones to follow them.

One of them, a muscular dwarf wielding a pair of miniguns, charged headlong into the ranks of the infantry, unleashing carnage from his weapons. Even the Seraph's advanced shields couldn't withstand the onslaught of lead for long. Furthermore, this man was like a tank made of flesh; he just soaked up damage like it was nothing at all. Hyperius was slightly impressed.

Another human, a hulking shirtless man with a mask, rushed into the fray armed with nothing but a axe-like weapon. He tackled a soldier to the ground and bludgeoned him repeatedly with his axe. He spontaneously caught fire in the process, but the flames seemed to only invigorate him more. He charged after the other soldiers, flailing like a madman.

A third human, one who clearly had military experience, faced off against three Seraph soldiers. He pinned two down with gunfire and deployed a turret to deal with the third. There seemed to be a standoff before a fourth human, a female that Hyperius recognized, arrived at the scene.

"There she is," the Seraph Guardian said. He was expecting her to make an appearance. A robot followed her around and engaged a Seraph soldier, pinning him to the girl could shoot him. She switched to an weapon that fired purple lasers which easily killed the soldier. The girl said something to the human soldier, who pulled out a weapon that shot similar rounds. Hyperius' brow furrowed as the two soldiers he was facing were just as easily dispatched.

"What kind of weapons are those?" Alderius thought aloud. He was watching the battle closely.

Hyperius grunted, "From the looks of it, these humans have managed to reverse-engineer our technology." This was an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. The Seraph's shields weren't designed to counter their own weaponry. The girl's robot shoved the third Seraph soldier into the line of fire of the man's turret, which made quick work of it. The turret and the robot disappeared a short while later.

A brief conversation was caught over the radio waves, but Hyperius didn't care. Their talking didn't concern him at all. Two women abruptly appeared in front of the human soldier and the girl with a flash of energy. The energy disrupted the drones for a few seconds, cutting their video feeds. When they recovered, Hyperius ordered them to lock onto the two women. Their intricate tattoos caught his eye. "Interesting..." he said quietly, studying the patterns. "So her little pet project worked after all..."

Four Seraph infantrymen surrounded the group, but the humans dispatched them rather quickly. The soldier and the girl used their laser weapons to dispose of their targets. The blue-haired woman enclosed her target in a bubble of energy and slowly crushed him. The red-haired woman grew wings of fire and assaulted her target with a flurry of punches and kicks. Her final punch went almost completely through the soldier.

"Sir... What _are_ those two women?" Alderius asked, his voice conveying a mix of wonder and terror. "Surely they can't be human."

"They're not," Hyperius answered flatly. He heard the two address themselves as "Sirens" over the radio, though the name wasn't familiar. He was certain they were called something else. He thumped the armrest of his chair in frustration. "Call the fighters and soldiers back," he ordered. "Our work here is done. Cloak the ship and pull out." Alderius nodded and broadcasted the order. Hyperius had expected zero casualties during this attack. He had underestimated his opposition, a mistake he rarely repeated twice.

The Seraph Guardian opened the map of Pandora again and looked it over. He needed to plan a follow-up attack quickly; Phase 1 of the "Process", as he lazily nicknamed it, demanded a speedy reclamation of Pandora. Hyperius had hoped that execution of the Process would be smooth and easy, but the Vault Hunters showed him otherwise. He needed them eliminated, but that was a problem to address some other time.

Aside from Opportunity, Hyperius noticed that most of the other population centers on Pandora were pathetic excuses for settlements. As far as he was concerned, that made them easier prey. He turned his attention to the western side of the map. A string of settlements in the icy wastelands seemed like ideal targets. He manually input the coordinates for the location known as Southern Shelf Bay, and his cloaked cruiser slowly turned in that direction and accelerated.

* * *

Gaige stood in Marcus' firing range in Sanctuary, holding an odd weapon in her hands. The milk-white weapon's organic design and smooth contours put anything Maliwan made to shame. It was about the size of an assault rifle, but was only a fraction of the usual weight of one. The narrow barrel widened into a bulb shape with a sharp point on the end. Two pink holographic dots, one on the end of the rifle and one on the body, made up the scope. A Seraph crystal stuck out where a magazine would normally be.

The Mechromancer aimed to strange rifle at her target, a rusted Hyperion Loader. She squeezed the trigger, and a single bolt of pink energy sliced clear through the Loader's midsection. Not even E-Tech sniper rifles could pack that much punch. Gaige fired again and again, with all of her shots cutting through the Loader's oxidized armor.

Satisfied with the results, Gaige lowered the weapon and admired it. "This'll come in handy," she said to herself. "Good thing I grabbed this off of one of those Seraphs." She snagged the weapon during the aftermath of the Seraph attack on Opportunity. After the Seraph cruiser vanished from sight, the Vault Hunters opened the siege bunkers to allow everyone out. Lilith organized the masses and told them what happened.

Because Opportunity was all but destroyed, the Siren gave the survivors an ultimatum: either go to Overlook or Sanctuary and live in (relative) safety, or become bandits in the wilderness. Needless to say, most of the civilians preferred the first option. Thus, Sanctuary's population almost tripled within a few hours.

This presented a new challenge, however. The Crimson Raiders now had to provide that many people with the necessities they needed. That meant more more supply runs for the Vault Hunters, which they didn't object to. At the very least, it kept the group busy; a bored Vault Hunter is never a good thing.

* * *

_A/N: This chapter is short for a reason. I have something of a dilemma. After doing some thinking (and being a bit stuck on the second portion of this chapter), I've come to the conclusion that this story would make much more sense if I switched the primary perspective from Gaige to Maya. The direction I want this story to go in would be easier to write if that switch was made. My problem is deciding how to go about that change. Do I rewrite everything I've done thus far and post a new story? Or do I simply switch perspectives in the next chapter?_


	14. Chapter 13: Ghost Town

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.

* * *

Chapter 13: Ghost Town

In the days following the Seraph attack on Opportunity, an unusual peacefulness had seemingly overcome the chaos that the Vault Hunters faced on a day-to-day basis. No word had been received on what the Seraphs were up to, if they were even up to anything in the first place. Though the newcomers were in the back of the Vault Hunter's minds, there seemed to be a sense of security, of calmness.

Calmness was outright unnatural on Pandora.

* * *

Whenever Lilith was frustrated with business in Sanctuary or just wanted some time away from the flying city, she would return to her "lair" in Frostburn Canyon. Maya typically traveled with her, both for added protection and for company. After getting into an argument with some of the former Opportunity residents, the Firehawk needed some space. She entered the coordinates for Frostburn Canyon as Maya approached, and the two deconstructed in a flash of blue light.

When the pair reconstructed at the Fast Travel station, Maya could almost immediately notice that something wasn't right. The air was devoid of the smell of burning flesh or the screaming of victims being burned alive, both of which were typical for the area. Lilith could sense it as well; her steps were more cautious than her usual strides were. The pair inched their way into the nearby bandit camp. Typically there would be a few Flaming Psychos burning some poor fellow alive or some nomads walking around, but nothing stirred in the camp. Bloodstains, burn marks, and bullet shells littered the ground. The ramshackle buildings were piles of rubble.

"What happened here?" Maya thought aloud. From the amount of blood and shells, it seemed like some kind of attack had taken place. The only thing out of place was the lack of bodies.

The two Sirens continued through the canyon and ventured into the caverns. Once again, they found signs of a struggle, this time accompanied by the mutilated corpses of dozens of spiderants. Their exoskeletons were riddled with tiny holes that were too small to have been made by bullets. Similar sights awaited them as they explored the canyon further. The entire area seemed to be deserted, but there was no reason for the bandits to leave.

Maya and Lilith eventually reached the former lair of the Firehawk. Lilith didn't seem to take much interest in the missing bandits after a while, but Maya was trying to come up with reasons as to why they were gone. The blue-haired Siren couldn't come up with any logical reason, unless...

"Has there been any recent news on the Seraphs?" Maya asked abruptly. Lilith had taken a seat on the cot in the lair.

"Nope," the redhead replied. "No sightings, no radar readings... Nothing." She shrugged, then thought for a moment. "A little odd, though, don't you think?"

"It is," Maya agreed, "but that doesn't mean they didn't just disappear. They still have to be on Pandora. We would know if something left the planet." She paced in front of Lilith.

"Maybe we scared them off," Lilith said. "Maybe they're hiding out somewhere." The Firehawk hadn't thought too heavily on the Seraphs since that fateful day; as far as she was concerned, no news was good news.

"I don't think so," Maya countered. "They have to be doing something. They attacked Opportunity for a reason, and I'm certain they have more attacks in the works. Maybe they've already been to some places."

Lilith realized the point Maya was getting at. "You think the Seraphs were here?" the redhead asked somewhat dubiously.

"That would explain the lack of bandits here," Maya said. "There's still one question though, which is-"

"Where are the bodies," Lilith finished. She stood up from her seat and crossed her arms. "Maybe the Seraphs need them for whatever reason. Honestly, I don't really care what they do with bandits."

"My concern," Maya sighed, "is that if I'm right, then the Seraphs basically eliminated a bandit camp without alerting us – or anyone, for that matter. If they could do that, where else could they have gone without us knowing?"

"I see you're point," Lilith said. She sighed and put her hands on her hips. "I guess we should tell the others to keep an eye out for anything suspicious." She walked over to the computer rig and gave the message to Mordecai, who would pass it on to the others.

Maya leaned against one of the low walls that surrounded the lair. The Seraphs intrigued her; she wanted to learn about them, but didn't know how or where to start. She almost wanted to meet one, but that would imply that it wouldn't want to kill her on-sight.

* * *

The Seraph cruiser hovered invisibly over the Dust. Hyperius wasn't in the bridge of the ship; instead, he was overseeing the hive of activity that was centered around a special chamber of the ship. Inside, Seraph medics took DNA samples from the bandits that were previously captured – some dead, some dying – before moving the bodies to another chamber. The process was fairly smooth, although every now and then a bandit would try to escape and promptly be shot by the guards. The DNA samples would be important later, but for now, they were simply being acquired and stored.

Hyperius was pleased with how smoothly things were moving. Taking a more discreet approach, though it took longer, was turning out to be quite beneficial. Still, he needed more samples to ensure optimal results for his plan, hence why he was en route to another concentration of humans. Being discreet had the added effect of not attracting unwanted attention, particularly from the Vault Hunters. At some point, however, he would need to get their attention. They had one thing he needed and one thing he wanted. He knew were both of them were; getting them would be a slight challenge. For now, he could live without them, but soon, he would have to acquire them.

That was a day his inner blood lust looked forward to.

* * *

A/N: Another short chapter, but, again, for a reason. School will be starting in two days for me. As such, my time to write will be limited. I will try to update this story once every two weeks at the very least. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.


	15. Chapter 14: Captured

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderland franchise or anything related to it.

* * *

Chapter 14: Captured

As the days progressed, more and more areas which were once infested with bandits became mysteriously empty. In every case, no evidence could be found as to why the bandits disappeared. Maya was convinced that this was the work of the Seraphs, but no definite connection could be drawn.

Until a call for help in Thousand Cuts came, that is.

"SLABS!" Brick bellowed over his ECHO device. Gunfire and explosions sounded off in the background. The Vault Hunters, who were previously relaxing in Crimson Raider HQ, bolted to the command center. "I need some major backup! NOW!"

"What's goin' on out there, Brick?!" Mordecai demanded.

"Some big-ass ship appeared in the sky just now," the Slab King said. "Soldiers and smaller ships came out of it. They're tearin' up my Slabs!" The crunching sound of metal meeting flesh followed, presumably from Brick punching something unfortunate enough to come too close.

"The Seraphs," Lilith muttered. Brick didn't care about the Seraphs; he was more concerned with keeping his little army in check. He knew about their existence, but hadn't seen them first-hand. He had stayed behind when the Vault Hunters went to protect Opportunity.

"We're on our way, Brick," Axton said. "Hang in there." With that, the Commando marched out of the room, with a few of the others in tow.

"Lilith and I will stay here to protect Sanctuary in case the Seraphs try anything funny," Mordecai said as they filed out. Maya was the last to leave, and Lilith mouthed "Be careful" as she left.

Within moments, the Vault Hunters appeared in front of the Fast Travel station in Thousand Cuts. They immediately sprung into action, following the sound of gunfire and pained screaming. No Man's Land was the center of conflict, with Seraph troops holding positions on the entrance to the former Hyperion base and with the Slabs shooting from their side of the battlefield. The Vault Hunters joined the fray, pulling out E-Tech weapons of all sorts from their inventories.

Maya used what little cover was available to her advantage. She fired a few bolts from her E-Tech Maliwan SMG periodically just to pin down the advancing Seraph infantry. Above them, a few Seraph fighters flew around, either toying with the Slab's Buzzards or doing strafing runs on the bandits on the battlefield. Maya noticed that every now and then, sleek Seraph ships would dart behind bandit lines, abduct one or two Slabs, then dart back to the massive Seraph cruiser looming over Control Core Angel.

So I was right, Maya thought to herself as she ducked behind cover. The Seraphs are the ones responsible for the disappearance of the bandits. Why the Seraphs would need bandits still eluded her, but she didn't have time to dwell on that thought. A Seraph soldier rushed towards her position, shrugging off the gunfire from the Slabs. The Siren enveloped the soldier in a Phaselock bubble and threw it back towards it's allies.

That move seemed to have immediate repercussions. Soon, a large part of the Seraph force pushed deep into the bandit's side of No Man's Land towards Maya's location. Axton, Gaige, and Salvador had to back off to avoid getting isolated and picked off. Zero simply kept sniping with his E-Tech Hyperion sniper rifle, with each of his shots connecting with a Seraph face. Krieg didn't seem to notice the rush of Seraph troops; he was too busy beating a Seraph to death with his buzz-axe. If the Psycho didn't move, he would be surrounded and likely killed.

"Krieg! MOVE!" Maya shouted, but the noise of the battle drowned out her command. She leaped from cover and ran towards his position. She Phaselocked one of the Seraphs approaching him and threw it aside, but more moved in to face him. Before Maya could move any further, one of the smaller Seraph ships stopped in the air above her and enveloped her in a cone of pink light. Almost instantly, she froze in place, unable to move any part of her body more than a few inches. She craned her neck up to see what was above her as she was pulled into the ship. Her vision faded to white, and she felt nothing.

Krieg struggled to hold back the three Seraph soldiers who surrounded him. He snarled like an angry skag as they approached. He swung his axe to ward them off. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw a person with blue hair running towards him, only to be interrupted by flash of pink light. The person was pulled into the ship that emitted the light.

"The fiery ones have stolen the princess!" the Psycho growled. The Seraphs stopped and looked at each other as if confused, which gave Krieg enough time to charge past them and towards the ship. "THE HERO MUST SAVE THE PRINCESS!" He jumped and reached out to grab Maya's leg, but fell just inches short. As he landed, he whipped around and threw his buzz-axe with all his might at the ship, but the crude weapon merely bounced against the ship's shield. The cone of pink light faded, and the ship darted away. Krieg let out a roar of pure rage that echoed through the battlefield.

Moments later, the Seraph troops stopped as the small ship flew away, as if receiving new orders. They quickly turned tail and retreated. Several large dropships retrieved them. As the huge Seraph cruiser cloaked and turned away, all that was left from the battle were the corpses of dead Slabs, and handful of Seraph bodies, and an outraged Krieg. He now stood silent, his head lowered and his fists clenched into tight balls.

"Well, that's a bit odd," Axton remarked as the Vault Hunters regrouped. "They were gaining a lot of ground. Why run now?"

"No idea," Gaige said as the deconstructed Deathtrap. She slung her Florentine across her back. The group assembled, but one was missing. "Hey, where's Maya?"

"GONE TO THE DUNGEON!" Krieg bellowed abruptly. "THE DRAGON SWOOPED IN AND TOOK HER AWAY!" He angerly growled something else, but he spoke too quietly to hear.

"The Seraphs took her?" Zero translated. Krieg gave a small nod as he continued to mumble to himself. "Unfortunate. We'll find her, but how do we search?"

"That ship's cloaked, amigo," Salvador grunted lowly. "No way we can find it now."

After an odd silence, Axton spoke up. "Wait a minute. She has her ECHO device, right?"

"Why wouldn't she have it?" Gaige asked. "She's practically tied to the thing."

"That's not my point," Axton said. "If she has her ECHO device on her and the Seraphs don't destroy it, then we have a way to track her down."

The group considered what was said. "That's it!" Gaige finally exclaimed. "All ECHO devices have a tracking unit inside them. We can use the ECHO-Net to pinpoint her exact location!"

"A brilliant point," Zero agreed. "We must not waste any more time. We must get her back."

"DRAGON HUNTING WE GO!" Krieg roared. With that, the remaining Vault Hunters quickly made their way back to Sanctuary.

* * *

"Target secured. Returning to hangar." These words buzzed in Hyperius' ear as he observed the battle below in silence. He sat wondering, not for the first time, why these humans were to persistent. Even against overwhelming odds, they continued to fight until they died, either out of courage or stupidity. It was almost admirable. Almost.

"Perfect," Hyperius said, a grin playing across his face. It quickly faded as he turned to Alderius. "Call the soldiers back. Our job here is done." Alderius nodded and relayed the command.

Hyperius rose from his chair and left for the cruiser's hangar. It was a decent walk from the bridge to the hangar; after all, the hangar was on the first level of the ship, while the bridge was on the fifth. He arrived as the last of the sleek ships, nicknamed "Reavers", touched down. The back of the ship opened up, and a pair of Seraphs exited, carrying a blue-haired woman on a stretcher. They gave courteous nods as Hyperius approached.

"A pleasure to finally see you in person," the Seraph Guardian mused. The woman couldn't hear him; one of the side-effects of the capture process was temporary unconsciousness. It was a necessary precaution to take. He eyed her blue tattoos before he turned to one of the Seraphs. "Put her in one of the available Special Containment units immediately," he ordered. The Seraph nodded, told his partner where to go, and the two went on their way.

Overall, Hyperius was pleased. Though he had lost a few more of his precious soldiers in the conflict at Thousand Cuts, he nearly had enough human DNA to start the next phase of his plan. The blue-haired woman – Maya, he believed she went by – would be a valuable asset to that end as well, though he wanted her alive. If his instinct was right about her, then he might have a huge problem looming in the future.

* * *

A/N: I sincerely apologize for not keeping my "every-other week update" promise. A combination of school and general laziness has prevented me from writing too much. I'll try to keep my promise from now on. Anyways, this chapter's a bit short simply because I want to get to the important stuff quickly. Next chapter will be where some key points are revealed, so stay tuned!


End file.
